Nobody Does It Alone
by ForeverErica
Summary: Post-"The End". 6x18. "Nobody does it alone, Jack. You needed all of them, and they needed you." The Afterlife. JK-centric. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey folks! I have finally decided to write a multi-chapter fic, exploring the adventures and marvels of Jack and Kate in their Afterlife. The ending of the show was so very complete and perfect, like it can't get any better than that, but a sense of calm falls over me when I think about where these two incredible characters are now, and most of all, that they're together. **_

_**My good friends and fellow Jaters, Franci and Cinzia, are the ones who pushed for this to be written, so this is for them. I'm not sure how many chapters there are going to be just yet (How can you plan the number of chapters for eternal life?), but I do have an idea about where I want to go and what I want to do with this.**_

_**Here's goes nothing! Enjoy! **_

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Everything was happening at warp speed. He'd simply planned on spending an evening with his son at a concert that he wasn't even sure he'd enjoy, only to be held up in surgery, missing the entire event, yet, as if by fate, crossing paths with the woman who fell into his life without fail, never having remembered touching her, kissing her or making love to her, until she touched him, with the full view of a life with her that he didn't remember living in the palms of her small, delicate hands.

'_I missed you so much.'_

He still wasn't convinced, just shaken, scared, and oddly intrigued by what she meant to him, because from the moment she invaded his domain, he knew that he loved her, that he wanted her and she knew just what he needed to see to believe that what he saw of their life together, what he felt without any memory of feeling it, was indeed real.

'_I know, you don't understand Jack. But if you come with me... you will.'_

'_I died too'_. That was all he needed to understand. It was the only way that the man who inspired, yet frustrated him, who loved him in his own way and who gave him more than he thought he did, his_ father,_ could possibly stand here with him. It was the only way he could hold him. Suddenly he was that little boy again, eye darkened by the brutal assault of his foes, shirt torn in his attempts to fight back, in desperate need of his father's understanding and approval, only to receive, _'You don't have what it takes'_ in return. He finally received the affection he'd waited for his entire life in this one tight embrace, all the tension they'd ever brought about in each other draining from their spirits as he heaved with sobs in his arms.

It was the only way he could possibly say, _'I love you Dad'_ and hear the words, _'I love you too, son'_ being spoken ardently in retort.

He broke from the hug quickly, his chest constricted with the happiness he felt. He gripped his father's shoulder, pressing his fingertips into the shoulder-pad of the suit's jacket, the same suit that he picked out for the burial service, but this wasn't the prelude to a funeral, the empty coffin behind him proof that this wasn't another goodbye. This was a new beginning.

"You...are you real?" Jack asked, boring holes into the man who stood before him.

"I should hope so." Christian said through his excited laughter. "Yeah, I'm real. You're real; everything that's ever happened to you is real."

He smiled. "All those people in the church...they're real too."

Jack felt a lump catch in his throat. "They're all...they're all dead?"

"Everyone dies sometime, kiddo." Christian stated with such resignation, yet finality. "Some of them before you, some...long after you."

"But why are they all here now?" Jack asked.

Christian's face turned serious. "Well, there is no _now…here_."

Jack moved away slowly, unsure of how to grasp what his father was trying to tell him. That was the Old Man alright, cryptic and challenging, so sure that his son would come to the conclusion on his own, if he gave him enough clues to work with. Where is _here_? Why is there no _now_, here?

_One question at a time Jack_, he thought to himself. He took a deep breath, then patiently blew it out.

"Where are we, Dad?" He finally asked, summing all of his thoughts and confusion into one question.

Christian sensed his son's edginess. "This is the place that you...that you all made together, so that you could find one another."

Uncertain of whether or not that statement was sufficient, he moved closer. "The most...important part of your life, was the time that you spent with these people. That's why all of you are here."

His face softened. "Nobody does it alone, Jack. You needed all of them, and they needed you." He said, grateful that he wasn't alone after he died so long ago, obliged that he had people who depended on him and that he could depend on.

"For what?" Jack asked.

There was a pause, twisted with sadness, yet triumph.

"To _remember_…and to…_let go_." Christian stated.

Jack looked down, the memory of the gorgeous brunette who sat in the passenger seat of his truck just moments ago clouded his thoughts, watching him with such affectionate raptness, waiting and wanting for him to be ready to come with her. _'To leave.'_

"Kate…" He said with a smile, a laugh dragging on the end of that one, faithful name. "…She said we were leaving."

"Not leaving, no…" Christian corrected, shaking his head. "…_Moving on_."

"Where we goin'?" Jack asked with a broken smile, his brow furrowed in curiosity, his tone excited, nervous.

Christian's lips rose into an adoring grin, his son's interest both fetching and contagious. There was only one thing left to do.

"_Let's go find out._"

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His eyelids slid open quickly, as if he'd just woken from an imperturbable sleep, the barbed grass on the underside of his arm and the beaming sunlight over his body made him sweat uncomfortably, breaking through his slumber. Bamboo stalks reached to the sky from the ground where he reclined, as tall as skyscrapers with their bodies of leaves waving in the altitudinal wind.

A small pocket of the sky was discernible in his eyesight. He remembered a plane, soaring through the clouds like a missile, determined to reach freedom, moving the person who mattered most in the world to him away from a deadly situation that only he had the determination to die for. He remembered a rain of happiness and serenity washing away all the stabbing pains of death, like an analgesic traveling through his veins. He was there again, only this time, his body didn't quake with the final breaths spurting from his chest. He didn't feel wiped out from the physical and emotional battles that made stepping one foot in front of the other so tasking. There was no blood, no pain, and no tragedy.

Everything felt extravagant, luminous. His senses took it all in at a quickened pace, like he couldn't take in the details of his surroundings fast enough. He rose onto his forearms and looked down at himself, the dingy blue T-shirt he wore looked brand new now, void of the blood, sweat and tears he'd shed for the Island. His fingertips traced his lower abdomen for any traces of the fatal wound that took his life, and there was nothing. It was as if someone had magically erased it from his flesh.

His skin prickled with new life, a rejuvenation that made his blood warm. He sat up fully and marveled in wide-eyed wonderment at the stretch of trees and shrubs that grew outside of the bamboo patch he was embedded in, bright green and thriving with abundance.

In what felt like another world, he remembered a church and a sea of smiling, joyful faces, some he hadn't seen in a long time, while others he'd memorized, down to the very freckle at the curved tip of her nose. He saw himself moving along the affectionate gathering, handshakes and hugs fall upon him from every direction. Finally, with her dark curls parted, framing her face and shoulders with ease, her green eyes sparkling with awe, her mouth wide with a knee-buckling smile, she took his hand in hers and led him to peace he'd never known existed.

And then there was _light_. Blinding. Warming. All-consuming _light_.

He felt lighter, almost weightless and he wasn't sure if this was a dream or if he was just a phantom, destined to trail the grounds he died protecting. He knew it was much more than he could ever comprehend. A smile animated his lips while he supported himself on a nearby column of bamboo to stand. He immediately felt her, like his heart thumped the rhythm of steps that would lead him to her. He had to find her.

Within the shadows of the jungle, a figure watched as Jack rose and moved with purpose through the bamboo forest, intent on following close behind him.

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_**Hmm, who could that be? :P **_

_**There you have it. A very expository, descriptive chapter, but a nice set-up to start things off. **_

_**I have never attempted to write a multi-chapter fic, so I will need your help along the way! This means reviews and comments, both positive and negative. Let me know what you want to see happen, because there's nothing more agonizing than working in silence!**_

_**So now it's up to you all. Thoughts? Opinions? You know where the Review button is! Hopefully, it will inspire me to write the next chapter faster, or a next chapter period. ;) **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Wow, what a resounding response to the first chapter! Thank you so much for reviewing! **_

_**Sorry for the delay. I hope to get new chapters posted on a weekly basis, but with work and such, it will be a challenge, so please bear with me.  
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She tossed her head to the side, as if attempting to shake the cobwebs from her brain. The prickly blades of grass abraded her cheek, her face falling deeper into the odd sensation. She opened her eyes then, staring head-on with the rooted trunk of a nearby tree. She turned fully onto her side, staring into the distance, her eyes blurry from the blinding light she remembered being drowned under in what felt like seconds before she woke up here, on her back, in the deep crevices of a jungle, but not just any jungle, the same jungle she'd traveled through dozen of times, to forage for food, to trek for water and to save the man she loved from a dangerous situation that he warned her to never return to.

The very spot was vaguely familiar, the sound of hawks above her head in the trees, the smell of dew in the air. It hit her. It was where she'd woken up after Oceanic Flight 815 crashed, only without the constraining curves of stainless steel around her wrists, preventing her from doing much with her hands, and the powerful urge to run until no one around her knew who she was or what she'd done. Now, as she sat up, everything was different. She knew what freedom and love truly felt like, and it wasn't an illusion or a dream. This was peace, true peace that she couldn't explain, but she knew it would never be taken away from her.

She looked around, searching avidly for his large, lean frame, but he wasn't with her. She stood and took in her surroundings, a small smile rose on her lips at the sight of the familiar foliage of the Island, as sparkling as it had always been.

Memories of her last moments here rushed through her mind. Claire. The plane. Jack. She wanted to stay with him and she was going to, no questions asked, if only he would've allowed it, but he wanted her to live the life that he knew he couldn't enjoy with her. Even now, she still tasted him on her lips, the soft, wet feel of him, the way their tongues dueled for supremacy; the way that his _'I love you'_ sauntered in the air as he walked away, the last time she ever saw him alive.

She thought of how she'd lived her entire life without him, how she found him again and how here, in this place, they always made it back to each other. She had to find him, and an intuition deep inside of her told her just where she would.

As if on autopilot, she began to travel a path that her feet seemed to recollect with undoubted certainty.

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He dashed through the leaves, diving and dodging every obtrusive object in his path, bound and determined to reach his target. He finally came to a clearing, chest heaving in short breaths. He bent over in sudden exhaustion, his hands resting against his knees, in a desperate attempt to catch his breath and regain momentum. He retrieved his bearings and then straightened, unsure of which direction to continue traveling. He finally decided which way to proceed when he heard someone speak up.

"Looking for something, Jack?"

He stopped dead in his tracks and turned slowly, not sure how to react to who was standing there. The last person he thought he'd see stood there, in the same begrimed white long-sleeved collared shirt and brown slacks he remembered.

"Jacob?" Jack questioned in surprise, taken aback by the mystifying figure that stood before him.

"Hello, Jack." Jacob said with a smile.

An extensive pause persisted. The two men stared at each other, as if waiting for the other to make the next move.

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked calmly, almost accusingly, sensing that danger was looming, because that was the only circumstance by which Jacob ever appeared to him.

"Don't worry, Jack. I just wanted to make sure you made it safely." Jacob said with an understated simplicity.

He sat down on a nearby stump. He gestured to a nearby bark, strewn from its original location. "Have a seat, Jack."

Jack fidgeted, his restless intent on finding Kate so obvious, his body language gave away his unease and desperation. He just stared at him, frustrated at the gleam of a smirk on his face, the patience he oozed, when he was anything but patient at the moment, but he knew that he would never be able to find her until he listened to what Jacob had to say.

"Whatever you're so adamant about finding will still be there when we're done. Trust me." Jacob insisted, with a smile.

Jack relented and sat across from him. Jacob stared at the leaves on the trees above, and his eyes then languidly traveled all over the space in undiluted wonder.

"Do you know where you are, Jack?"

"Yes." Jack said with a nod.

"Good." Jacob said, satisfied.

"I have a sense that's not the only question you're going to ask." Jack said with a laugh, the tension he once felt at seeing Jacob again subsiding.

"Do you know _why_ this is where you are, Jack?" Jacob asked.

"I take it that's why you're here. To tell me."

"Do you remember the conversation we had before you decided to protect the Island?" Jacob asked.

"Yes. I remember you said that you chose us because we needed this place as much as it needed us." Jack recalled.

"I began to realize that you needed this place more than all the others, because you had a choice to make, to let this place crumble to the bottom of the ocean or to protect it. You chose just what I thought you would. But before you could make that choice, you needed to see how very important you were from the very beginning and to realize why you were here, but I wasn't allowed to tell you." Jacob explained.

It dawned on him. "The Lighthouse." Jack stated.

"Yes, Jack. I needed a replacement, but what I needed more was someone to believe in this Island as much as I did. To believe that they belonged here. That they were brought here for a _reason_."

"Sounds like the man you were really looking for was John Locke." Jack offered.

Jacob shook his head. "John Locke's purpose was to convince _you _that you belonged here, that this was your destiny. You were the one who needed to act on that belief, and in the end, you did. You were never meant to be my replacement, you were meant to stop The Monster at all costs, securing the Light and that it would always be there to protect. You figured that out all on your own, Jack."

Jack rose, staring off into the massive platform of high trees and emerald shrubbery. A large part of him already knew why he'd been brought back here for eternity, his connection to this place so palpable and overpowering that it once turned him into someone else from the farthest of distances, this obsessive, desperate, irrational man who was willing to give anything just to see this place again. His existence before the Island seemed like someone else's life to him now, his time and energy being taken up by patients and not much else. It wasn't until he crash-landed here that his life truly began to change and form in ways that he couldn't have predicted.

In the beginning, he wouldn't have believed for one second that he would ever come to call the Island his _home_, but in many ways, it was and it always would be. The seclusion, the serenity, even amid all the turmoil that he'd faced here, the bad memories, there were more good memories than he ever realized. He came alive here. He fell in love here. He formed a family here, and he died here. It only made perfect sense to him that he would come back, and it felt _good_, really good.

"You did what I couldn't. You saved this place, while I nearly destroyed it. It radiates with a peace and innocence that you died for. Now you get to experience what this Island has to offer, without fear, without the shackles of destiny and purpose. Anything is possible, Jack. Everything you thought you couldn't have, anything you were afraid to want, you can have it here, in _this_ life." He explained.

Jacob stood and approached Jack from behind, as if sensing his question before he spoke a word.

"Where is everyone else?" Jack asked.

"They're around, most of them, and they're probably asking themselves the same question. You'll find each other, when it's time, but one person in particular, she's nearby and she's waiting for you, right where she found you all those years ago."

"Thank you." Jack said, with a smile, extending his hand.

Jacob took his hand and shook it firmly, cupping his other hand around Jack's shoulder. "No, Jack. Thank _you_."

He came around the bended path that led him to the shady, secluded corner of the beach, where, once upon a time, his entire world shifted. In the same spot where he once kneeled in pain she now stood, her back to him. She must have been marveling at the expanse of ocean in front of her, so much so, that she hadn't realized that she wasn't alone anymore. The view was so breathtaking, but he couldn't bring his eyes to the water, the five-foot-five figure in bell-bottomed jeans and a grey T-shirt, her curls flowing down her back and over her shoulders like silky threads of chocolate captured every thought and every piece of his reality. She was far more breathtaking to him than even the most spectacular view of any part of this Island.

"Kate."

She turned at the sound of his voice, and saw him standing there, his boyish grin wide and relaxed. She smiled as she ran to him, colliding with him as he met her halfway, the hug so impactful that their sighs of relief came out loud and restless. They stood there for what felt like ages, just holding one another. She ran her hands over the back of his neck, his back and shoulders, wanting to touch as much of him as her arms would allow her to reach. His arms rested low, banded around her waist, his open-palmed hands firm against her back, his fingers caressing her sides, combing through her hair and back again. She finally broke away, tears in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her hands cupping his face, then moving through his hair.

"I'm…" He searched for the right word to express the indescribable rush of levitating joy and tranquility he felt in every corner of his soul. He just stared intently into her eyes, mouth agape, hoping to convey what he knew he never could with words. She nodded and he smiled.

"I know. Me too." She said with a smile.

She rose on her tiptoes, her lips landing firmly against his, open, hungry and reaching. He followed her lead, wrapping his arms around her more tightly, nearly picking her up against him as their mouths found a satisfying, dizzying rhythm.

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_**I have been dying for a Jack/Jacob conversation like that; I wanted more of those two together on the actual show. And yes, I know, I'm cruel for ending this chapter with a Jack and Kate reunion and a kiss no less, but how else would you come back for more? :P **_

_**Reviews are motivating, so please leave one. ;)  
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	3. Chapter 3

_**Thanks for the reviews! Keep 'em coming. Sexy Jate ensues! Enjoy!**_

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The kiss grew eager the longer it lasted, his hands now at her waist, urging her into him. She turned her head at an angle that gave her better access to him, her mouth opening wider. Their breaths mingled in the quietness of the beach, the tidal waves of ocean in the background the only other audible cue. He finally pulled out of the kiss, pecking at her lips a dozen times more before he completely cleared the passionate fog that she effortlessly cast over his senses.

He cupped her face in his hands, caressing her cheeks, swiping strewn curly strands from her forehead so as not to obstruct his view of her lovely face. He grinned down at her, and wiped the tears that finally fell from her eyes, her gaze fixated on his, so deep and captivating.

"Hey you." Jack said with a smile so big she felt her knees buckle.

"Hey you." Kate said, her hands at his waist, her fingers curved through the belt loops of his jeans.

His hands moved to cup her shoulders. He looked around then, more intently than he did before, taking in the space that held so many memories for them both. Nothing about it had changed, except for the two people who met here so long ago, completely connected and bonded for life by that single interaction involving a sewing kit and a tried lesson about controlling fear. It felt like a million years occurred between then and now, and through it all, she was by his side, still was, and would always be. For an eternity.

"What do we do now?" She asked.

"Absolutely nothing." He said with an adoring grin, watching her smile take form and shine brighter than the sun breaking through from behind a cloud.

They trekked through the jungle, walking around aimlessly for the most part, in no rush to get to any particular location, just enjoying the moment, the calm quietude, the scenery, something they were rarely able to do before.

"Where do you think the others are?" She asked.

He debated in his head whether or not to let her in on what Jacob told him, that they were around, in their own pockets of the jungle, and that when the time came, they would find them or they would be found.

"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling they're around." He said over his shoulder.

"So, is it too much to hope for that we won't be interrupted this time?" She asked humorously, but he could tell that she was serious.

Of the many times she tried to make romantic strides with Jack whenever they were alone after the crash, his time and attention was always completely taken away by the grave dilemma of the day. It was too much to dream that she could possibly have him all to herself for awhile, especially after a lifetime of missing him so much she felt her breath stall in her chest at even the image of his face in her mind's eye.

The terrain was becoming familiar again, he realized, sensing that he traveled this path dozens of times before, but he couldn't remember exactly what it led him to. The beach? The hatch? He wasn't quite sure, but he was up for the thrill and rediscovery of wherever they were headed. She broke into a small sprint in order to catch up with him, her hand colliding with his once she caught up to his side, fitting her fingers between his, giving his hand a loving squeeze.

He looked down at her with another warm smile. _He is doing that a lot lately_, she thought to herself and she found that he never did it enough when the security and wellbeing of the group, not to mention the burdens of destiny weighing heavily on his shoulders. God how she'd missed that smile, everything about him, how easy it has always been to get lost in him. She looked forward to an eternity of just that.

They turned from a patch of bushes and it finally came into view. The caves. He smiled at the colossal structure of rock and hardened mudslide, hidden behind a heavy web of vines and leaves. He moved towards the entrance with Kate following close behind.

As soon as he entered, he was greeted by the sound of rushing water crashing against the rocks below. The fresh waterfall that he found so long ago still flowed abundantly. The dark brown walls of the cave glistened with novelty, as if no one had ever lived here before.

"Jack…the skeletons…they're gone." Kate said, somewhat astonished.

He walked up behind her, looking at the empty platform where the skeletons once lay side by side. He wrapped his arms around her waist, his chin resting lightly against her shoulder as his lips brushed her ear. "Aren't you happy about that?"

"God yes. Those things creeped me out." She said with a shiver, making him laugh.

He kissed her clad shoulder before moving towards the sound of the water. He surveyed his old work area, where he once treated every bump, scrape and rash of his fellow survivors. What sat there now were piles of supplies, hidden by the long leaves of a nearby shrub. Blankets, cushion palates, water canteens, backpacks, anything they would ever need to sustain, it was there. He wasn't sure if it was just left behind from when he and some of the others moved back to the beach after the hatch became the new group headquarters or if someone knew that they would settle here someday.

"Who does this stuff belong to?" She asked, crouching down to pick up a blanket, rolled-up and secured with a

"Us." He said simply.

As Jack continued to inspect the heap of supplies, his attention taken up by the task, she noticed something sticking out from under a nearby conduit of rocks. She dragged the object out of the space and realized that it was a suitcase, a very large one. She unzipped it, and was surprised by what she found.

"Jack…" Kate mumbled, rummaging through the familiar articles of clothing.

"These are definitely ours." She said with a laugh, holding up one of Jack's shirts, the purple, sleeveless button-up was always such a turn-on for her whenever he wore it.

They both wanted to ask how in the world this stuff could have possibly ended up here, but they already knew the answer or at least they knew that an answer or an explanation wasn't exactly necessary.

"We've got clothes, blankets…anything we could possibly need." He said, looking down at her.

"I guess we're home." She laughed.

The campfire roared with warmth as she sat in front of it, on a nice bedspread that she worked hard to make big enough and as comfortable as possible, waiting for Jack to return from foraging for mangoes, which he remembered were nearby. Sunset was fast approaching and the campfire became their only source of light. She always found something romantic and mystifying about these caves, but there were always too many people underfoot and too many obligations for Jack on both the beach and in the caves for her to actually act on her naughty thoughts.

Even though she vehemently disagreed with him about setting up shop here instead of the dangerous openness of the beach, she couldn't keep herself away from this place after he was trapped in the cave-in. She felt drawn in all the more after those terrifying moments, as if it was her personal compulsion to look after him. From the moment she sewed him up, protecting him felt vital to her own well being.

'_I don't wanna be Eve.' _

She only said it to push him away, because that's what she used to do when someone consistently showed that they cared about her, and especially when she started to care about them more. The constant push and pull of emotional attraction and sexual tension between them made her crazy at times, but she fell more heavily into the welcomed surprise of a good man, a good person, taking so much interest in her when he wasn't knee-deep in the group's problems, keeping her secrets, and being confident in her capabilities.

She spent so much time denying that she did want to be Eve and that she was disappointed that he wasn't asking her to be. This place was like home for her, and most of it had to do with Jack's presence and enthusiasm about the caves being a safe haven for them all. Once he left, the beach felt so lonely, almost foreign to her, that she made up excuses to visit the caves, just to see his face. If only she knew then what she knew now.

She chuckled at the memories and how much just knowing him changed her entire life, the person she was and who she became, but most of all, how living life without him never diminished her love for him.

He came through the opening, carrying more large mangoes and ripe mulberries than one man can eat in a lifetime. He sat down beside her, wrapping his arms around her. She looked over into his eyes, those eyes that haunted her every day of her life, in her dreams and her reality.

She leaned in to kiss him, swallowing him up in a wet, hot, soul-robbing kiss. She moved from the quilt that was wrapped around most of her body and fell into him. She eagerly melded to him, her lips opening over his mouth repeatedly, sucking the air from his lungs until they sagged in his chest. She finally straddled his lap, her chest flush against his.

Her hands grabbed the hem of his T-shirt, tugging it over his head and off. She pulled back and marveled at the sight of him, bare-chested in the firelight, his skin hot to the touch, his auburn eyes glinted, darkened and glazed over with a steamy passion that always made her very happy and anxious for what was to come. Her fingertips grazed over the skin that met his jeans, her finger outlining the phantom streak where his wound once was, where he once bled, where life drained from him and took him away from the one she planned to spend with him.

"I missed you so much." She breathed, not giving him time to respond before she captured his lips again.

She knew that it shouldn't be this easy, this effortless to fall back into this physical gracefulness with each other, their outpouring of passion so naturally harmonizing when she hadn't touched him in years, decades, but it was. His fingers dug into her hips, holding her tightly over him so that she could feel what she was doing to him. She continued to unleash her fury, her impatience evident and a serious turn-on for him. It always was. She'd waited so long for this moment; she couldn't endure another second without him inside her.

The bulge behind his zipper only grew more prominent, reaching for her and all that she had to offer. He rolled them over, so that she lied on her back. He tugged her shirt and bra over her head in a rush, exposing her breasts to him, her nipples hard and achy, desperate for his touch. He drew an imaginary line down her chest, over her stomach, stopping at the button of her jeans. He dipped his head to her face, her eyes burning with desired force, begging for him to touch her anywhere and everywhere. He unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, tugging them and her panties down her thighs and off. He moved back and drunk in the mesmerizing view of her, taking it to memory.

She lay completely naked in the flickering glow of the fire, her curls spilled over the bedspread, her skin warm and smooth, staring at him with so much love, he lost the concentration necessary to breathe properly.

"God, you are so beautiful." He sighed.

She smiled. Truth be told, she never felt more beautiful than she did in moments like these, when she engulfed his attention so easily, that nothing could pull him away from her.

He bent to take a hardened nipple into his mouth, sucking hard, greedily, her satisfied, breathy sigh radiating through the air. He paid her other breast the same passionate attention as one of his hands parted the folds of her pussy, the slick, wet heat of her saturated his fingers. He groaned at the slippery feel of her most private area, vowing to bury himself into her warmth as soon as he was done playing with her body, rediscovering every part of her, and how to make it explode. She moved against his fingers, her body's wantonness of such overpowering sensation and having found it again made her feel dizzy, intoxicated even. He teased her, moving his finger into her, only to remove it. He was making her crazy.

"Jack—" She moaned.

"I know baby. Me too." He said, rising from her heated flesh to remove his jeans and underwear.

She sat up on her forearms, staring at him intently as he impatiently fumbled with the button of his jeans. She loved making him this way, hurried, breathless and out of control. He pulled the hem of his jeans down his hips, his heavy erection exposed. She wrapped her hand around him, stroked him from base to tip, her thumb grazing the tip. He let out an anguished breath.

"Lay back." He groaned.

She lied back, tugging at his shoulders, the desperation to feel him all over her consumed her thoughts. He positioned himself between her thighs, and entered her agonizingly slow, waiting for her tight fit to adjust to him. She quivered, her breath shaky and her eyes wide open. Once he was deep inside of her, her walls quaked around him. The orgasm rocked her, shifting her off balance. She yelped at the surprise of it, unsure of how she could have come so quickly, when they were just getting to the best part, the way they rocked in unison until they were too spent to move.

She bottomed out, a look of shock and awe in her eyes as she watched him hovered above her. Then the tears fell, her happiness at what just happened heightening an already emotionally-charged moment. He wrapped his arms around her as she cried like her heart was physically breaking in her chest, but in actuality, she felt it healing for the first time in a long time.

"Sssh, it's okay. I'm here." He whispered, still embedded inside of her, too concerned to move.

_But for so long, you weren't_, she thought to herself as she wrapped her arms around him. _And I missed you so much it hurt to breathe_.

She met his eyes and kissed him long and hard. He cupped her face and wiped her tears away. She gyrated into their connection, encouraged by the hiss that came from between his gritted teeth. She devoured his mouth again, and he read her signal easily, moving against her gently at first, making sure she was comfortable. She made her demands known, urging him to go harder and faster. He pumped into her hard, making her succumb to mind-numbing bliss twice more, her cries echoing off the cave walls, their breathing loud and raspy. Her teeth sank into the skin of his shoulder; her fingers dug into his backside, wanting the unbelievable pleasure to last forever. Finally she felt him stiffen against her, exploding inside of her with one earth-shattering blast after another, his breath caught in his throat before he let it out on a staggered moan.

After taking each other to the point of physical and emotional exhaustion, they laid on their sides in the warmth and glow of the fire, watching the flames flicker, him behind her, holding her close, with the quilt wrapped securely around them.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he sat up, his cheek resting in the palm of his hand. He laid a light kiss onto her shoulder.

"Mmm…" She sighed happily. That was a yes if he ever heard one.

She came to realize that she was always his Eve, his eternal companion, no matter what. She was the one person that he could share his soul with, give his trust and confidence to, give his heart to, but often times she let her past and her fears break the heart that took a lot of time for him to trust her with, but even when she thought she'd broken it, he still gave it to her. It was the only blessing in her life that ever truly mattered. The caves, the beach, Los Angeles, it was clear to her that she would follow him anywhere, and the one time she was desperate to do so, he wouldn't let her, chained to his destiny for better or worse.

"I slept in your shirts for months." She said suddenly, breaking through the silence. "They smelled just like you, all of them, and then when your scent faded from one, I just took another one out of the closet, and it was like you lived just a little while longer."

He lowered himself, resting his cheek against hers as he hugged her into him, the only way he knew how to comfort her through what she was sharing with him. He had so many questions about her life once she left the Island, how she survived, if she ever came to love again. He didn't know if he wanted the answers to any of these questions. He wanted to understand what pain she must have been in, but he came to the harsh conclusion that he could never know what it felt like to go through what she did, unless there was some twisted way to punish him by forcing him to live life without her. There was no crueler life to live.

"Once your scent was gone from each and every one, it was like you died all over again. You never know how symbolic things like clothing can be until the person who's supposed to be wearing them is never coming back."

He kissed her forehead. He was grateful that she would never have to live through that kind of pain and loss ever again. After a moment, she shifted onto her back, repositioned the pillow under her head as she combed her fingers through his hair, ruffled from the many times she tugged on it throughout their heated joining.

"I _love_ you." She said, her eyes twinkling in the dim light.

"I love _you_." He said with an adoring grin, his palm lightly planted over the skin of her stomach.

She caressed his cheek and urged him to come closer, closing her mouth over his in a kiss that would keep them warm throughout the night.


	4. Chapter 4

_**I hope everyone is having a great Holiday Season! As a gift, here's the latest chapter! **_

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She squinted, her eyelids rising against the need for more sleep. She shifted onto her side, her naked body still warm and cozy underneath the large quilt. She smiled bashfully, the previous night's events playing through her memory in vivid detail, every moan, touch and squeeze captured in her mind. She reached for him, but found herself patting the bed instead.

"Jack?" She called groggily.

He was always the early morning riser, with freshly-brewed coffee sitting on the counter, waiting for her in her favorite mug, with her bagel toasted and smothered with her favorite strawberry cream cheese, as if he was expecting her any minute. His dress shirt, tie and slacks were the polar opposite to what she usually wore to breakfast: his ratty yet comfortable dark blue bathrobe. In the beginning month or so of living with him, he was very shy about approaching Aaron or even offering to wake him, but as time went on, Jack made it a priority to spend as much time with her and Aaron in the morning as he could, especially when he knew he would be gone for the entire day, if not longer.

Even before they were as intimate as two people can be, she noticed that he rose with the sun, walking along the beachfront to congregate with members of the group, to check on any injury that he treated the night before, to bottle more of the fresh water from the previous night's rainstorm. It was like the man couldn't stay asleep for very long.

She opened her eyes wider, bit by bit, and looked around for him, but not only was he not in bed, he wasn't in the caves at all. She wondered what could have been so important that he couldn't wake her to tell her he'd gone out. She shifted over towards the lasting remnants of the fire, the charred wood scorched to the point of uselessness. _Maybe he went out to get more firewood_, she thought to herself. Then she saw a cutting board with bite-sized pieces of various fruit. Was that fresh fish she smelled? Where could he have gotten that from? He must have woken up pretty early to do all of this, she realized, the savory aroma of grilled fish permeating her nostrils and making her stomach growl in hunger.

He came through the opening, eyes landing on her awakened frame in bed, staring at the platter that he'd worked hard to prepare as a surprise that he would present her the moment she woke up. She sensed his presence and turned, watching the shocked look on his face turn into slight disappointment, then amusement.

"I get the sense that I wasn't supposed to be awake when you got back." She said, smiling at how similar he looked to a deer caught in headlights.

"I wanted to make breakfast for you, and I wanted it to be a complete surprise." He said shyly, walking over to her, his bad-timing causing her to see what he'd done.

"It is a surprise, Jack, and a pretty sweet one at that." She said, sitting up to give him a kiss, making it last longer than she intended. "You could have woken me up, you know. I would've helped."

"You? Up early, without the urge to kill me for waking you? I would love to see that." He giggled.

She took a pillow and playfully threw it at him, his hearty laughter filling the morning air.

"Hey! I may lag a little bit in the mornings, but I think that last night was a huge testament to how much stamina you've got, and how irresistible you can be. It's not my fault I felt the need to sleep in." She said, winking suggestively.

"So, this is all my fault?" He asked with a playful grin, feigning distress.

"You got it, stud." She laughed.

Jack watched as she sat up fully and covered herself with the quilt. He found it amusing that she would do so, when he'd seen and touched every inch of her, and then some. He joined her on their bed, her bare back pressed into his chest and her head fitted perfectly into the dent beneath his shoulder as he held her close and served her what he prepared, her appreciation noted with satisfied moans at the taste of the fresh fish, along with a few compliments about his skills with the simple army knife that he used to gut, skin, cut and prepare the fish and fruit platter that he continued to spoil her with.

As she picked up a piece of fish and brought it to his mouth, she froze, her eyes fixed on some faraway point in front of them.

"What?" He asked, recognizing the distracted look on her face as he chewed.

"I'm sorry, I was just having a…" She closed her eyes and laughed. "…flashback of sorts. The grilled fish reminds me of when Claire and I tried to get Aaron to eat this baked fish dish one night at dinner. Claire had to literally wrestle with him to get him to even try it. He was seven at the time, and had acquired this really specific palate from out of nowhere, but he loved his artificial fish sticks the best." She grinned.

So taken with the memory, her laughter lingered until she was completely swept up in the merriment of a moment that he wasn't there to share with her. He stared down at her face, the way her smile lifted her delicate features, her eyes tinted with a glow that reminded him of the night he asked her to marry him.

"What?" She asked, catching him staring at her with that curious intensity he had from the moment she met him.

"Nothing. You just…you never talk about your life, aside from what you told me last night. It's great that you have so many good memories." He said sadly, trying to find the right way to convey his appreciation that her life was filled with people who could make her laugh and smile like she did just then.

She knew that he didn't want to just come out and ask her, because he didn't want to pressure her into sharing what her life was like, and how curious he was about it. If she knew him like she thought she did, he felt like he had no right to ask, when he had every right to want to know.

"You want to know…about my life." She said, more as a statement than a question.

"I…uhh…I don't want to push—" He started.

"No, it's okay." She said, popping a juicy piece of mango into her mouth, taking a few deep breaths, like she was mentally and physically preparing to be washed over by emotions she hadn't visited in a long time.

"It was hard in the beginning, really, really hard. I was taken into custody soon after we landed, for breaking the conditions of my release."

He bit his bottom lip, aware that he didn't think about what wanting her to come back with him would cost her as far as her agreement to stay in Los Angeles. He remembered when she told him about it, after they'd made love and how he jokingly told her that he would hunt her down if she ever decided to run again. He also remembered the playful 'I love you' that she giggled in return.

"When my lawyer finally convinced the courts that my actions were harmless and in the interest of reuniting a mother with her son, they let me go. I went home, to the house we lived in together. Everything was exactly the same as I'd left it. It was like walking back into a life that felt so surreal, incomplete, and empty. After days of convincing Claire that she's the best thing for Aaron, I took her to Carole, that's who I gave him to the night I showed up in your apartment. Watching the three of them together for the first time in so long was so beautiful."

"Claire agreed to let Aaron live in the house where he grew up, so she moved in with me and we raised him together. The transition was chaotic to say the least, with Claire's insecurities and Aaron's confusion, but it got better. She was the best mother, and Aaron was the most beautiful child, as you already know, and grew to be this incredible man, just like his uncle." She said, the adorable blush in his cheeks making her smile.

"It was so precious to see their relationship grow and evolve. You would have been so proud of the two of them." She said, a sad tear sliding down her cheek. She swiftly wiped it away.

"I'm glad that you had each other to lean on." He said, trying to soothe her distress.

"When I told your mother about what happened, she was just as you'd expect a mother to be when finding out that she lost her child. We got through the pain together, visiting each other often, almost every week."

"You and my mother bonded?" He asked.

"Of course we did, Jack." She said. "We both love you and missed you. It was so cathartic talking to her, learning more about your life, seeing all those adorable pictures of you as a baby, at your first piano recital, and that most precious pose of your two-year old self in the bathtub." She giggled, looking up at him to catch the reddening of his cheeks in embarrassment.

"I can't believe she showed you _that_ one." He rolled his eyes, making her laugh.

"I felt so terrible for her though. She lost her husband and her son in such a short timeframe. I was expecting her to fall apart all the time, but she kept it together. I guess she didn't want to break down in front of me. I was doing the same thing I guess, trying not to lose it and upset her."

He never truly felt that overpowering burst of love and protection that most sons felt from their mothers. She loved him, of that he was sure, and he loved her too, but much like his father, he felt he had to prove worthy of that love by being the dutiful son that always made the right and appropriate decisions. When he came back from the Island, their relationship changed drastically. They bonded, reconnected and maintained an open and loving relationship that he never got the chance to experience as a child, a teenager and at times, as a man. Those moments were all the more dear to him now that he would never see her again.

"She spent time with Claire and Aaron too, getting to know them both. Claire would always voice her dismay about never getting to know you as her big brother and that Aaron would never grow up to have you in his life. She also talked about her regret at pushing your dad away when he tried to connect with her."

"Claire met Dad?" He asked.

"Yeah, she said that he popped up after Carole fell into a coma when she was seventeen. She knew that he had this other family somewhere, but she was so angry that she didn't even want to know his name."

"I still can't believe he never told us about each other. I guess that's why he chose Australia of all places to run to. The Old Man went to his grave with more secrets than I thought." He said.

"Margo was so generous with her time, telling her so much about you and your dad. It was great to see Claire discover so much about her family. I learned a thing or two about the Shephard clan myself."

"All good things, I hope." He said, laying a light kiss to her forehead.

"I visited Ray too, often. He said that you were the only one who cared enough to pay attention to him anymore, and that he only did such rowdy things so that his very busy grandson would come to visit him. He would always call you a damn fool for letting me go." She winked.

"Of course he did." He laughed. "That's Granddad. Honest by default. You were always so great with him. Whenever I came to see him without you, he'd talk my ear off about how delightful you are. I think it was love at first sight."

"Oh definitely. If I hadn't met you first, I'm sure Ray would have asked me to marry him and he would have been just as easy to say yes to." She said with a forlorn sadness that only meant one thing.

"When did he die?" He asked.

"A couple of years after I got back. He passed away in his sleep." She said.

She caressed the arm that was draped over her shoulder, showing her support for the remorse that tightened his chest. Parents were supposed to pass before their children. Grandparents were supposed to go before their children and grandchildren. To know that his mother and grandfather suffered through losing him and his father, he couldn't express what that felt like. He was sincerely grateful that Kate was there to fill their lives, to take his place and most of all, that she had support and love of his family.

She rose to face him, wrapping the quilt more snugly around her. His fingers grazed her forehead, and then moved to caress the side of her face, tucking her unruly curls behind her ear.

"Sometimes I missed you so much I couldn't function. There were so many times I wanted to call you." She choked on her words, but regained her composure when she felt his strong hands rubbing circles over her back.

"So many times I wanted to see you, to tell you about my day, to show you some new toy I'd brought for Aaron, or let you know about some brutally honest comment Claire made. I knew that I was just torturing myself, but it didn't make it any easier to stop wanting you. I just went…" She paused, searching for the right word. "…_numb_."

She blew out a quick breath. "Completely numb. I couldn't feel anything for a very long time. Then I realized that life was happening all around me. Claire was going back to school and had a new boyfriend. Aaron was getting so tall, growing more and more everyday. Even Sawyer started to get on with some semblance of a normal existence. I knew that I couldn't lie in bed all day long anymore. I had to let you go somehow, so that I didn't go absolutely crazy every time I woke up to run down the stairs, expecting to find you in the kitchen, pouring coffee into my favorite mug."

He saw the tears brewing in her eyes, her stubbornness not allowing them to fall, to let him see that his death destroyed her and even the recount itself brought her back to those harrowing moments of when she'd never felt more alone. The overwhelming weight of guilt in his eyes buckled her, causing the tears to finally leave streaks of sadness down her cheeks. She cradled his face in her hands, wiping at the tears that fell from his eyes. She flashed a sad smile, which turned happier the longer she looked at him, his face the picture of understanding. Her pain was now his and he felt every striking blow with fierce precision.

"You've always been the most committed and determined man I've ever known, and the reasons why I love you so much were the reasons why you had to stay behind. I met the love of my life when I wasn't sure who I was or if I was good enough, and then you showed me. You chose to love me unconditionally, even when I made it so difficult, but you never stopped. I experienced this incredible, cosmic, life-altering love that completely consumed me, in a way that I never would have let it before you. I wasn't afraid anymore. You shouldn't feel guilty about leaving me behind. I lived a long, happy life and I died with the vision of your eyes staring into mine. I shared things and experienced things with your family that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. While I missed you every single day, I knew that this moment would come. I had to believe that I would see you again, it was the only way living without you made any sense." She said.

"Did you ever…?" He paused, unsure of how to phrase his question without sounding jealous or in the least bit angry, because he had no right to be.

"Date? Fall in love again?" She finished for him with a smile.

"Yes to the first and no to the second" She confirmed. "There were a few boyfriends here and there. I never married, I just never wanted to. I was happy, but I never felt for them what I feel when I'm with you."

He smiled against his better judgment, his place as her one true love inimitable in the time she lived without him. He never thought he'd ever experience that kind of devotion, in life and most certainly not in death, having never felt worthy in any form.

"There was a part of me that hoped you made it, that you survived it somehow, but when Hurley showed up at my doorstep, I knew that you were really gone." She confessed.

"Hurley came to visit you?" He asked.

"Yeah, shortly after I got back. He told me everything, that he begged you not to go, that you told him you believed in him. He said that you were so brave…fearless. I expected nothing less." She said with a knowing smirk.

"Actually, I never felt more afraid than I did in those moments. Hurley would have panicked even more if he knew that I wasn't coming back. Everything was happening so fast and I thought I was running out of time. I was so drained, but I knew I had to finish it." He admitted.

'_Tell me I'm gonna see you again…' _

She knew then why he couldn't give her an answer, but it never occurred to her that he was just as scared as she was. She selfishly wanted him to reassure her, for him to tell her that it wouldn't be the last time she'd touch him, hear his voice, or look into his eyes, when he would never know the exact same thing about her. In their final moment in life, he had to say goodbye without any comfort or certainty that it wasn't the way things would end for the two of them. She'd never known a greater sacrifice.

"There was one thing that I wanted to tell you, but I was too devastated at the time to say it." She rose onto her knees, her hands gripping his jean-clad thighs while she climbed into his lap, her legs wrapping around his waist, her face just inches from his and her palms cupping his cheeks.

"I am _so_ proud of you." She said with so such love and admiration he felt his heart burst with the impact.

With those six small words that meant more than anything, he felt the guilty pangs at the details of her life without him subsiding, healing over his residual scars at what his decision cost them both. He didn't want to talk anymore. He didn't want to discuss the life they didn't get to experience together, while another lay right in front of them, waiting to be explored and revered.

He leaned in to kiss her, opening his mouth over hers, the juicy nectar of the mangoes on her lips and tongue. He removed the quilt from her body, it falling into a pool of cloth at her waist, her breasts and stomach exposed to his large hands. He pressed her into him as he lowered her onto the makeshift bed, her hands already roaming underneath his shirt.

They made love, quick and draining at first, then slowly, softly exploring one another, reveling in the completeness they felt whenever they came together. He poured so much passion into the act, in a fiery trance that made her burn and tingle everywhere, her entire body erupting in his arms. They lay together in the blissful aftermath, her cheek pressed over the beating of his heart, her arm settled across his chest, her legs tangled with his. His arms were wrapped around her, with the occasional brush of his fingertips over the soft skin of her back, neck and shoulders.

"This is so perfect." She mumbled. "This is all I've ever wanted. You and zero interruptions."

"It is pretty incredible, isn't it?" He said. "Almost too much to believe that it's real."

"But it is, which makes it so addictive." She said, burrowing deeper into him.

They lay in silence for a few moments more, until she rose to look at him, an idea brewing in the haze of those bright eyes of hers.

"What are you thinking?" He asked.

"What do you say to going out and finding the rest of the group?" She asked excitedly.

"I knew it!" He exclaimed with a chuckle.

"You knew what?" She laughed.

"That you couldn't just stay still for a little while longer. You are just itching to trek through that jungle. Old habits die hard." He teased.

"You don't want to find everyone?" She asked skeptically, very certain that he did. "I'm sure you're getting pretty tired of me."

"First of all, I could never get tired of you. Second, of course I want to find everyone and spend time with them, and, last but certainly not least, I would rather enjoy you a little more before I have to share you." He said, turning her onto her back, his mouth latching over one pearly nipple, sucking gently and purposefully.

"Ohhh…" She moaned. Her hands traveled over the taunt muscles of his back and arms, scraping his skin with the bluntness of her fingernails.

"Can we talk about this later?" He asked in a breathless tone.

"Absolutely." She said with a wide grin, his hunger for her making her forget what they were even talking about.

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_**Okay, enough with the quality Jate time, our other favorite Losties will come into play in the coming chapters. BUT no worries…there will definitely be more intimate moments in the future. This is a JATE fic afterall. ;)**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Thanks for the reviews! Oh yeah…HAPPY NEW YEAR!**_

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His boots crushed through the thick thatches of grass and dirt on the path they decided to take after leaving the caves hours ago. His backpack was full to the brim with supplies he was sure they would need when they made camp later, even though he couldn't remember the exact moment he agreed to this adventure they were currently embarking on.

He did remember her asking him something while she moved over him, her hips grinding into him repeatedly, her mouth sucking at the skin of his neck, their centers pressed together, swollen with sensual agony. He was completely under her control, literally begging her to put him out of his misery, declaring that he would do anything, his world shifting when he spilled himself inside of her on a startled, exhausted groan, at the exact same moment her sweet orgasm claimed her, her moans of pleasure and fatigue filled his ears. In that moment, when she ripped him apart with how good she felt convulsing around him, he would have said yes to anything in the world she could ever ask of him.

"Why do I let you talk me into stuff like this?" Jack asked over his shoulder, his grin teasing and playful.

She came up close behind him, her backpack just as full, crammed with what she felt necessary to bring with them for what she believed would be a great voyage into the landscape that they never let themselves enjoy when they were here before.

"There wasn't much talking when you agreed Jack, and you know that." Kate said with a smile and wink, pulling her curls into a ponytail.

He stopped abruptly and turned to her. "Are you implying that you used your feminine wilds to seduce me into going on this trek?" He asked incredulously, staring down at her.

"Yep. How else have I ever gotten you to do what I ask?" She said stepping closer to him, her smile and the light gleam of sweat on her forehead sparkling in the heavy sunlight.

"I can think of a couple. Goad me until I finally crack, and if that doesn't work, you give me that really cute pout with your bottom lip sticking out and that subtle quiver it does for effect. Don't think I don't have you pegged, Ms. Austen, because I do." He said, wagging his finger in her direction.

"Oh, the many hooks I have in you, Dr. Shephard. I wonder exactly what I could get you to do if I play all of my cards…one after another." She said in a serious tone layered with humor as she moved past him, laughing at his penetrating, no-nonsense glare.

They moved a few more miles up the path, the humidity of the day making their efforts harder than they thought it would. Sweat stuck to their clothing, making them feel clammy. He turned to look back at her every other minute, her face displaying her evident discomfort, her brows scrunched together in concentration, as if she had to wind herself up for each step she took.

"You wanna take a break?" He asked, noting the way she lagged tiredly up a steep mound.

He stopped without waiting for an answer, seating himself on a nearby rock, pulling his water bottle out of his backpack and taking a long swig of it before passing it to her. She gulped the rest of the water down, her skin pinker than normal and her breathing more labored than usual.

He moved closer to her, laying his hand over her forehead, checking for any unusual spike in her temperature. She took his hand in hers, removing it from her cheek, his scrutinizing gaze still studying her intently. It wasn't like her to drag like this, her fit frame never exhausted of energy when it came to things like this, even if the weather wasn't cooperating with them. He was beginning to think that maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

"I'm fine Jack." She said in an attempt to appease him, even though she felt queasy and a little feverish.

"You sure? You were struggling back there." He said, dabbing a towel over the skin of her face and neck.

"Yes, I'm sure. It's just unbelievably hot out here. I can feel myself baking. I guess we have to make do without the Weather Channel for awhile." She joked.

"Yeah, I guess so." He said, satisfied that her coloring was starting to go back to normal and that her chest didn't rise and fall unevenly.

She went to work peeling a mango, giving him half when she was done. He thanked her with a sweet kiss to her lips, his dark, deep eyes captivating to her when he pulled away, staring. They ate in silence, enjoying the scenery in spite of the sweltering heat. Her stomach finally started to settle a little, even though she still felt a little dizzy. _Maybe I was just hungry_, she thought to herself.

Barking soon cut through the quiet, leaves and grass being shuffled through and trampled over. That faithful golden Labrador Retriever everyone came to love and adore galloped through an open path, running straight towards Jack at lightning bolt speed.

"Vincent!" Jack exclaimed, inviting the dog to jump into his lap, greeted with his long tongue and dusty paws.

"Hey boy!" Kate smiled, rubbing her hands over his shiny blonde coat and wagging tail.

"Hey buddy, what are you doing out here, huh?" He asked happily, urging the energetic pup to look him in the eyes. He barked twice in response.

"Where do you think he came from?" She asked.

"I'm not sure, but wherever it is, it can't be too far." He said, continuing to rub over the dog's face, snout and between his ears, his warm tongue swathing over his other hand, his teeth biting lightly at his fingers.

They continued to greet him with smiles and enthusiastic caresses. Suddenly, Vincent sprinted through the same path from which he came, barking all the way.

"I think he wants us to follow him." She laughed.

They tracked the sound of barking and the rustling of leaves and grass, finally coming to a clearing where a makeshift cabin sat in the very center, framed by improvised counters, with pots, pans, Dharma food cans and boxes stacked on top of them. A large pot hung over a small ditch where firewood burned from the day before. Vincent continued to bark, trying to get the attention of his owners.

Soon, a figure emerged from the cabin. Jack and Kate looked at each other with smiles and then back at the short, older woman who brightened up the moment she saw them.

"Bernard!" Rose chimed, moving towards the faces that smiled back at her. She greeted them both like a mother who was inviting her children home after months of being on their own for the first time, her empty nest dying to be filled again.

Bernard appeared at the sound of his name and the urgency of Rose's tone, delighted to see their unexpected visitors, but most of all, his wife showering them with more hugs and kisses than they would ever need.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in." Bernard said, his face rising in a smile, approaching Jack, his hand outstretched.

"That would be dog. Vincent found us a couple of yards outside of your camp." Jack said, taking his hand and shaking it with a firm grip.

"Well, I'm glad he did." Bernard said, pulling Jack into a hug before moving to give Kate the same affectionate greeting.

"Where are you two staying? On the beach?" Rose asked.

"Actually, we've set up shop in the caves." Kate said.

"Hmm, the caves. They always had a very nice, quiet, romantic vibe to them. I take it you're putting that space to good use." Rose said, noting the swell of color in Jack and Kate's cheeks.

"Well, I was just about to check the traps for fish. Can you two stick around for awhile?" Bernard asked.

"Sure." Jack and Kate said in unison.

"So, this is where you've been living all this time?" Jack asked, taking a cup from Rose, seated on a wooden bench next to Kate, who remembered hearing about how they came to live here when she was on her way to the Swan site.

"Yep, and it saved us the headache of getting involved in whatever was going on after you two disappeared. All hell broke loose. The sky kept lighting up, people kept coming after us, trying to kill us, so we just decided to pack up and move out here." Rose said.

"We accepted a very long time ago that the Island is our home, and we've never been happier." Bernard said.

'_So we die. We just care about being together. That's all that matters in the end.' _

She wasn't even listening to the conversation that Sawyer, Juliet, Rose and Bernard were having all around her all that time ago, her mind wandering to her last moments with Jack, before she stormed off in anger, so frustrated with his insistence on erasing their life together she actually held in the desire to punch him for being so oblivious, but those words in particular struck her with a deafening blow. She could barely concentrate on anything but the sound of her heart breaking the longer it took her to find Jack and stop him, stuck in the mindset that he was blowing a bomb because he would rather erase her than deal with and try to fix what they meant to one another. He never took the easy way out, he was never afraid to fight for what was right and fair. He'd given up on her, on them, and the mounting realization of that made her all the more frantic to change his stubborn, determined mind.

Then she came to realize that living her life without him was far worse than him being out there, tangible with no memory of her or their life. As long as he was out there in the universe somewhere, her world wouldn't go completely dark the way it did when she received confirmation that he was indeed gone. When she felt herself reaching the end, when she felt life drifting from her body, she came to realize that she too didn't care if she died; she just cared about being with him again. That was all that mattered in the end.

"How did you come to that conclusion so quickly?" Jack asked after a pause. "You saw what the Island was back then. The Smoke Monster, the Others, the crazy, weird things that kept happening to us. How were you so sure that this was where you were meant to be?"

Rose looked over at her husband, as if searching for the signal of his approval for what she would say next. He smiled and nodded.

"Six years before we crashed on this Island, I was diagnosed with cancer. It went into remission after two years of chemo, but then it came back. I consulted with every oncologist in the greater Los Angeles area, but each and every one of them told me that there was nothing they could do, because the cancer was spreading at a rate that chemo wouldn't be able to keep up with. They said I had a year at the very most. One lousy year. I was dying and I accepted that. Then I met Bernard, and we got married five months later. At our age, you just know when you know. Anyways, we went to Australia for our honeymoon, but Bernard really took me down under to meet some faith healer. I was against the whole thing, but he wanted me to try, and it didn't work."

"We crashed here, and after awhile, I didn't feel sick anymore. The cancer just…disappeared. I was waiting for it to rear its ugly head again, but it never did. It was a miracle. The worst thing that could possibly happen, being in a plane crash, was actually the best thing that ever happened to me…us. It gave us a lifetime that we wouldn't have had otherwise." Rose said, taking Bernard's hand into hers.

"So, you believe that the Island healed you?" Kate asked.

"It's not about what I believe. That's exactly what happened, and I'm not the only one." Rose said.

"We both died right here, some thirty years later. Rose went first, and I died a few days later. Then I woke up and we were in this place where no one else knew what really happened but us. It was like our little secret. We remembered the Island, we remembered dying and we knew that we we're coming back here." Bernard revealed.

"Wait a minute. You knew, the entire time, that we were all dead, in limbo, and that we would find each other and move on…_here_?" Jack asked.

"We sure did." Rose said.

"But how?" Kate asked.

Bernard shrugged his shoulders in dumbfoundedness. "We just…knew. Maybe it was because we stayed here for so long, but we didn't belong here just the two of us, it was for all of us. Rose and I assumed that we needed everyone to get back, to move on, and we did."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Kate asked.

"Because it wasn't our place to tell. We all had business to take care of before we could leave, experiences that we needed to take part in before we were ready. Bernard and I were always ready; we just had to wait for the rest of you to be ready too." Rose explained.

"How long were you expecting to wait?" Jack asked.

"Not long at all. I knew that it wouldn't be too much longer when you came into my dental office, asking about John Locke's medical files. I knew that you'd met him and felt as if you knew him somehow, and that the compulsion to help him was coming from some place you didn't quite understand." Bernard said.

Jack had never felt so outstandingly determined to help a patient more than he was willing to help Locke. He went to lengths that would be deemed inappropriate for any doctor in terms of patient confidentiality and the line between personal and professional. Whenever a patient turned down a surgical procedure, he tried to persuade them one last time, providing all the necessary facts, the potential benefits and possible complications. If they turned him down after that, he didn't take it personally, he walked away, wishing the patient the best of luck in their future.

But when Locke turned him down, he took it extremely personal, like his refusal ran deeper than fear of surgery or fear of disappointment if the surgery wasn't successful. There was a connection there that went beyond giving a man his legs back. There was the sense that he'd lived an entire lifetime of tumultuous battles and push-pull throw-downs with this man, tensions mounting to the point of combustion, and his need to rectify the choices he'd made tugged at him. He just didn't know where those memories and feelings were coming from.

"The look on your face when I told you that I too was a passenger of Oceanic Flight 815, that said it all. You knew then that something was going on, but you didn't know what that something was. You were already on the path that would lead you to every answer you could possibly need."

Jack looked up into the high trees, shaking his head, his lips pulled into a grin.

" '_I hope you find what you're looking for._' " He said, recalling what Bernard said to him before he left, the gravity of the words finally hitting him in the same way they did when Kate told him the exact same thing before walking away to find Claire, taking all of his broken heart and soul with her.

"Yes Jack, and as it turns out, you did." Bernard said, gesturing towards Kate. She looked over at Jack, smiling brightly. The joy in her features so contagious, he couldn't help but smile back.

"Has anyone else stopped by?" Kate asked.

"Hurley came by yesterday. Years and years ago, he told us that he was the new protector of the Island and that he wouldn't let anything happen to us out here, but we didn't know what he was talking about, so we let it go." Bernard said with a laugh.

Jack and Kate looked at each other, knowing grins on their lips.

"That sounds like Hurley alright." Jack said with a proud smirk, standing and reaching for the backpack that lay at his feet.

"Did he tell you where he was going when he left? Anything to help us find him and the others?" Kate asked, pulling the straps of her backpack over her shoulders.

"Nope, but I take it you two will figure it out just fine." Rose said as she rose to take their cups, placing them in the wash area nearby.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for awhile." Bernard said.

"Thank you for the tea…for everything." Jack told them both, taking Rose's hand into both of his.

She reached up to cup Jack's face in her hands. "I still see it you know. Your nature. A good soul, patient, caring. We know what you did to save our home, what sacrifice you made and we thank _you_." Rose said, laying a kiss to his cheek. She hugged him tightly, and he returned the embrace with the same enthusiasm.

"You two come back soon." Bernard said to Kate as he pulled her into a hug.

"We will. Thank you so much." Kate assured him.

They moved from Rose and Bernard's compound after saying their goodbyes, heading in no particular direction, but trying to stay on some rough course, the humidity and thickness of the air setting in their lungs like wet cotton.

"Aren't you glad we're doing this?" She asked, confident that he was finally coming around.

"Actually, I am. But, I really don't care what we're doing, as long as we're doing it together." He said, his gaze soft and relaxed. He extended his hand in her direction, urging with his eyes for her to take it.

Like a moth to an enchanting flame, she moved to take his hand into hers, her small palm like a raindrop against his and her short fingers fitting perfectly between his. The feel of his fingers curling over her hand, so strong and dominant, was indescribable to her. The intimacy, security and comfort of the gesture was never something she ever thought she'd feel again and never felt with anyone else. They continued to walk through the jungle, never breaking stride, never breaking apart.


	6. Chapter 6

_**You are the most patient bunch EVER. So sorry for being so slow with these chapters. I usually think a lot before I write. Here is the longest chapter yet! **_

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They continued to walk in peaceful silence, touching and bumping into each other playfully, their hands still intertwined.

"Do you really believe that it was possible that the Island healed Rose?" Kate asked, cutting through the silence.

"If the Island could move through time, then I can definitely stretch my imagination to believe that it had the power to heal. Besides, Rose lived another thirty years after her cancer came back. As a doctor, I would say that's a miracle." Jack said.

"How do you explain Ben's tumor or your appendix?" She asked.

"I can't. I don't believe that the Island healed everyone, but I do believe that it chose the people it wanted to keep around and those it wanted to…" He searched for the right words. "… teach a lesson."

"Teach a lesson? Jack, you're talking about the Island as if it's a person." She said.

He laughed lightly in response.

"So, you think that your appendix bursting was the Island sending you a message?" She asked.

"Looking back on it, I do. We were that much closer to getting off this Island, and then I suddenly get sick after weeks of being in perfect shape? The Island wasn't done with me yet. Locke tried to tell me that, on more than one occasion, but I wouldn't listen."

She heard the disconsolate guilt in his voice, and she wanted more than anything for him to finally come to peace with himself and what happened before Locke's passing.

"So it tried to kill you?" She asked, doubt and disbelief dripping from her tone.

He stopped, turning to her. "I wouldn't put it that way. I would say that the Island was… delaying my exit for a little while longer."

"All I remember was how scared I was that I was gonna lose you." She said.

He looked down at her, with solemn and understanding eyes. They continued on their path, walking at the same beat. Suddenly, she noticed imprints in the dirt, similar to horse hooves. She stopped abruptly, staring at the marks. Jack came to a halt when she wasn't moving through the leaves with him.

"What is it?" He asked, following her to study the imprints in the dirt.

"Tracks." She said as she kneeled to the ground, her fingers outlining them.

"Tracks of what?" He asked.

"Boar, I think." She said, her eyes surveying the ground for more prints. She found a different one nearby. She moved to inspect it.

"A boot print and it's fairly recent, which means someone else is out here, or _was _out here."

"Could it be Rose's or Bernard's?" He asked.

"Could be, but I don't think they would ever have to travel this far outside of their camp." She walked a sketchy path that led her to another boot print.

"There's another one here." She said, pointing at it. "Whoever made these prints was tracking boar."

"That only means one thing. Locke is out here somewhere." He said, looking around, as if he could see him in the distance if he looked hard enough.

"The trail is moving this way." She said, pointing in front of her when she found another boot print just where it should be.

"I guess that's where we're headed too, huh?" He asked. She nodded, meeting his eyes as she moved back towards him, stopping at his side.

He placed a sure hand on the curve of her lower back. "Lead the way."

He followed her through the maze of the jungle, zipping between scattered trees and dirt paths peppered with the tracks they continually followed. Then she stopped.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"The trail stops here. That's weird." She said.

He dropped his backpack to the ground, opting to rest a little bit. She let her pack fall to her feet, leaving it behind as she continued to inspect the area for more tracks. He watched her as she moved around, then he noticed her foot trip over a suspiciously subtle vine of thread that he didn't notice until it was too late. It dawned on him what she was walking into, but she kept going, completely oblivious.

"Kate! Wait!" He warned loudly, running to stop her from moving any further.

He caught her, wrapping his arms around her, but by then it was too late. Before they knew it, twisted rope, woven into an intricate lattice bundled around them, picking their bodies from the ground at warp speed. Leaves flew into the air with them, causing a downpour once they stopped abruptly, the trap set and bound. They dangled about in the close confines of the large net.

"Dammit!" He cursed.

His arms still held her close. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I think so. You?" Her lips tickled his jaw.

"Yeah." He said breathlessly, looking around to inspect their surroundings. "Must be one of Locke's boar traps."

He felt her body heaving in his hands, while a noise he couldn't register crawled from where her mouth and nose pressed into his neck and jaw. He could have sworn that she was crying, but he didn't feel the wetness of tears. He looked down at her, long curls tangled and fluffed about her face and neck, the net pressed against her scalp pushing her hair in every possible direction. Laughter. She was laughing, so much so that she could barely catch her breath. It made him smile to see her so completely entertained by the situation.

The reminiscence of the moment simultaneously dawned on the both of them, making him join her in amusement. The last time they found themselves in this predicament, he was careful not to get too close, to touch where he shouldn't, to avoid the lips that devoured his just days before. Their banter about who was the better shot reminded him of how she was always the one to make him laugh and lighten up. He asked her to come with him not because he wanted someone that the Others didn't need. He asked her because he missed her and truly wanted to spend time with her. With her eager response to join him, he was delighted to think that she might have wanted the same.

"We gotta find a way out of here." He chuckled.

"Oh come on. There's something very romantic about being trapped in a net with the one you love, yeah?" She giggled.

"Hanging in the humid jungle like bait for a grizzly bear is not my idea of romantic, Kate." He said, making her laugh.

He looked around again. "Locke has to be about a mile or two ahead, which means that he's probably not gonna turn back anytime soon to check this trap. So we might be here for awhile."

"In the meantime, I guess I'll take advantage of this second chance by showing you how incredibly sexy this scenario can be." She said, her tone sultry.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers buried in the length of his hair. She opened her mouth wide over his, swallowing him up in wet, hot, winded kiss. He followed her lead, his tongue dancing with hers, her lips fused to his as her hands squeezed his backside, urging his groin into hers. She immediately felt his arousal against her, blocked by mere layers of denim. She'd made love to him just hours ago, and still she wanted more and wondered if she would ever tire of being with him that way. As she pressed herself into him even more than the net already allowed, exciting flutters rippled through her at the very moment that he opened his mouth over hers again, completely lost under her spell.

His hands traveled under her shirt, cupping her lace-clad breasts, pressing over her back and shoulders. The skin of his palms and the growing bulge trapped between them made her head spin. She inched higher onto him, wrapping one of her legs around his thigh, bringing their centers into direct contact as she continued to unleash her assault on him, her lips now peppering kisses over his cheeks, jaws and neck. He groaned her name eagerly, the close entrapment limiting his access to her body.

He suddenly heard creaking noises. He looked one more time at the set-up of the trap. The net was beginning to unravel under their combined weight. The rope that secured their weight a few feet above the ground was within his arm's length. All he had to do was cut through it and the harness that was wrapped around the large tree branch above their heads would break, and they would fall to the ground, but there was one problem he didn't really want to solve. His concentration was completely muddled by the roaming hands over his back and shoulders and the wet, warm tongue swathing over the pulsed speck of his neck, her mouth wide and her teeth lightly scraping over the underside of his jaw.

"Kate?" He blew out softly yet urgently, trying to get her undivided attention without interrupting what she was doing, because she was so good at it.

"Mmm." He heard her moan, biting down gently, making him shiver.

"I need you… I need you to reach for the knife in my back pocket…so that I can get us out of here." He breathed helplessly.

She heard the creaking noises then, the tension of a nearby string of rope that kept them dangling above the ground was beyond its breaking point. It dawned on her what he was asking. She groaned and straightened to look into his eyes.

"Okay, but this isn't over stud." She warned amusingly, her tone just as restless and ready as he felt.

"I wouldn't want it any other way." He said with a sexy smile.

Her hands rummaged through his back pocket for the folded army knife. She handed it to him. He released the blade and reached for the line of rope that would set them free. The blade of the knife slashed through the material slowly, then the rope began to loosen, until it snapped in half. They collapsed to the ground with a loud thump. Jack took the brunt of the fall, while Kate's surprised yelp turned into another bout of laughter. Her face fell into his chest, trying to compose herself. She finally looked up, his hands unraveling her curls from the net, his thumbs grazing over her cheeks.

"My hero." She teased.

He smiled as his hands cupped her face, and then ran down her back, stopping at the shapely curve of her behind.

"You better pick up that trail before I finish what you started." He taunted, his voice dark and needy.

She didn't want to move, glued to his body, his eyes steamy, yet apologetic. She sat up, looking down at him.

"Only if you promise to finish later." She pouted.

"Oh definitely." He said, leaning in to kiss her.

She stood and dusted herself off while he sat up and settled against a nearby tree trunk, his forearms resting on his folded legs. She moved around, searching for more tracks, but she couldn't pick up the trail. It was as if Locke and the boar had vanished into thin air, without a trace.

"Jack, the trail is gone. I can't find it." She confirmed.

"That's because there isn't one…not anymore anyways." A voice boomed from behind them.

They both turned toward the source. Locke. He stood there in his usual get-up, a dull green t-shirt, tucked into sandy brown pants, with heavy duty hiking boots. His ruddy complexion glimmered with sweat, his bald crown shiny in the sunlight. A large jaggered hunting knife was held tightly in his fist, which he settled into a buckle hanging from his belt. He looked like he'd been rolling around on the ground, dirt sprinkled and smudged over almost every part of him. In spite of his soiled clothing, he wore a smile, a pretty happy and surprised one.

"John." Jack said in way of greeting him as he stood.

"Jack." Locke said, taking his outstretched hand and patting him on the back once he was fully upright. He turned to the eyes that watched the encounter with a smile. "Hello Kate."

"Hello Locke." Kate said.

They followed close behind him as he led them through the jungle, not exactly sure where they were headed, but willing to follow along.

"So you've been out here hunting boar all this time, John?" Jack asked.

"For the most part." Locke revealed. "What are you two doing out here? I would have thought you'd set up camp on the beach by now."

"Actually, we decided to find the others." Kate spoke up. "You wouldn't have crossed paths with anyone have you?"

"Come to think of it, no." Locke confessed. "Oh. There was Hurley. He found me a few days ago, wanted to know if I was okay, if I was settled in and all. It was kinda weird, but a nice gesture nonetheless."

Jack and Kate stared at each other with knowing grins. They finally came into an open space, where Locke set up camp, a tent held up with bamboo shoots and a ditch in the dirt where firewood still burned.

"If you need a break from it all, I can take you on my favorite scenic trail." Locke offered.

Jack shook his head in agreement. "Sounds like a plan." He looked over at Kate.

"Yes, it does, but I'm not coming." She decided.

"What?" Jack asked in disappointed surprise.

She turned to him, cupping his face in her hands. "It's okay. I'll wait here."

"By yourself? Kate, I don't think—" Jack started.

She caressed his cheek, interrupting him. "Jack. I'll be fine. Go. You and Locke need to do this. Together. Just the two of you."

He looked over at Locke, who was latching another hunting knife onto the side of his belt. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes." She said, rising on her tiptoes to kiss him. "Now go. I'll be right here when you get back."

The two men headed up a steep and graveled incline. They'd been walking for almost an hour, in complete silence.

"Where are you taking me?" Jack asked.

"You'll see soon enough. We're almost there." Locke told him over his shoulder.

A moment passed, where only the sound of their feet, the rustling of grass and leaves as they moved through the jungle could be heard. Jack couldn't stand the silence anymore. He had to just say it.

"You were right." Jack said.

Locke stopped. "About?"

"Everything." Jack said as he came to a halt. "About the Island. About my destiny. About being brought here for a reason. I should have listened to you before. If I had, things would have gone a lot differently."

Locke sensed that there was more Jack needed to say, to let go of, so he stood in silence, urging him to say what he so desperately needed to and willing to listen to every word.

"The last time I saw you alive, I called you a lonely old man who just wanted to be special. I was cruel and stubborn. I couldn't believe what you were saying because a part of me was still angry with you for making things so difficult for me. One of the biggest regrets I have was letting you think that everything you did, said and tried amounted to nothing."

'_I wish you had believed me.' _The words were so simple, but strung together in the circumstances that he found himself in once he read them, they broke him. The letter was definitely meant to be open, every attempt to avoid the truth only made the truth seek him out even more.

"When I found out that you had been killed…_everything_ changed. I lost my job, I lost Kate…I lost my _mind_." Jack said with a heavy sigh. "I would have given anything to get back here. You wouldn't have recognized me had you seen what I'd become, what I was willing to do to see this place again. I'm so sorry that I couldn't see it sooner."

"You remember Helen?" Locke asked.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I do. What about her?"

"I met her during an anger management support group meeting. You wouldn't look at her and think that she ever had a sad or angry bone in her body." Locke said with a reminiscent smile. "She was the love of my life. But before I could fix things between us, she was gone. I missed my chance to make things right."

"What do you mean by make things right? What happened?" Jack asked.

"I was adopted, Jack. Did you know that?" Locke asked.

Jack shook his head. "No, I didn't."

"My mother gave me away when I was a baby and all of my life, I wondered who she was, but I never had the courage to find out. One day, out of the blue, she finds me and she tells me who my father was."

"Anthony Cooper." Jack said to no one in particular, his memory drudging up the name of the man he'd met in the nursing home.

"He conned me into believing that he cared. He needed a kidney transplant and once I gave him what he wanted, he was done with me. I became so obsessed with the idea that my father could love me, that we could have this incredible relationship, that I lost my grip on reality. I would follow him around, I would show up at his house, his job. Helen felt me distancing myself from her. She begged me to stop, to come back to her, and I promised her that I would, but I couldn't make room for her in my life. She couldn't take it anymore, so she left me, on bended knee, devastated. I messed up the only thing in my life that was right because I was so consumed with what had gone wrong."

"She died of a brain aneurysm before I ever had the chance to make her feel like she was the most important thing in my life. She died with the idea that everything would come before her. I regret that more than anything."

"I'm sorry." Jack said.

Tears sprung to John's eyes, but he wouldn't let them fall. "This place was special from the second I opened my eyes after the crash. It always felt like such a rare miracle that only I had the privilege to know about and experience. But, do you want to know the most tragic part of it all? I believed in this Island more than anything because it was all I had left. It was the only thing in my life I hadn't manage to ruin."

The echo of those words permeated over his skin. He remembered how the words felt coming from his mouth. '_You didn't ruin anything' _was her gut response_. _Her voice sounded so desperate and worried in recollection. Denying her wasn't a part of his plan, because every time he saw her face, he saw the tears, the sadness, her arms holding Aaron for dear life as he walked towards the door, her sobs following close behind. It took awhile to look at her without seeing all the damage he'd caused. A part of him still yearned to know if she really had forgiven him for what happened, for _how_ he let it happen, for how he let it _end_. He couldn't take it if Kate ever felt like she was second on his list of priorities.

"I know what loss feels like Jack. I was alone, and this place was all I had left, it was all I could put my time and love into. It was my sanctuary against the pain I left behind. I pushed you so hard, to the point where I wasn't helping you or the situation. You weren't ready for any of it when I wanted you to be. You didn't want the responsibility of a destiny that was bigger than your own understanding, and I can finally say that I understand. So, don't apologize to me, Jack, for anything. I made decisions that were just as bullheaded. We both made mistakes. That's what happens when you're being tested."

"I guess you won't be angry when I tell you that I brought your body back to the Island and the Smoke Monster used your face as a disguise to try to destroy the Island?"

There was a pause, where Jack almost dreaded Locke's answer, but then he saw an amused grin rise on his lips.

"I take it you kicked its ass, right?" Locke said with a laugh.

Jack let go of a goodhearted laugh. "Damn right."

"That's all that really matters in the end, Jack. You found your purpose, even if I finally convinced you from the grave. What happened, _happened_. We made it to the other side and everything is finally…at peace."

"Why didn't you tell me, John?" Jack asked.

Locke's brow rose. "Tell you what?"

"That the Island healed you, that after the crash you could walk again." Jack said.

"You never would have believed me, not after all the times I'd betrayed your trust." Locke stated.

"When I was chasing my father through the jungle, you said that you've looked into the eye of this Island and what you saw was beautiful. What exactly did you see?"

"I thought you'd never ask. Would you like to see for yourself Jack?" Locke said.

"Yes." Jack said,

"Then follow me."

They moved a few more yards and suddenly, they were standing on a cliff, the space where plant life flourished was filled by the far-reaching clouds of the bright blue sky. The wind blew slowly, soothingly and the sun peeked from behind a cloud, as if it was on cue for their arrival. Jack stepped closer to the edge and what was revealed took his breath away. The image of the Island from such a high perch made him feel like he was seeing it for the first time. He felt like he'd seen this before, but he had never experienced the way it looked and _felt_ to him in that particular moment. Seagulls flew high in the trees. The expansive ocean sung a song; the peaceful swoosh of the waves created a restful melody. The rays of sunlight made every leaf and blade of grass sparkle, and reflectively, the Island radiated with its own powerful glow that made Jack's eyes burn, but he couldn't possibly blink, not able to take his eyes away.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Locke said, his tone illustrating how in awe he was of the view.

The question was rhetorical, because the sight was absolutely magnificent, their position overlooking most, if not all, of the place that he'd spent so long despising and running from. Everything was so calm, still, and different. It was the same feeling he'd felt when he opened his eyes in the jungle, only magnified to a degree that was almost too much for his senses, like he wasn't able to grasp the specialness of what surrounded him quick and detailed enough.

Locke looked over and saw utter astonishment play in his features. He smiled and then turned back to the view. Jack knew in that moment Locke had truly forgiven him, even if he didn't feel like he needed an apology. To show him how he'd seen the Island all this time touched him in ways he would never be able to articulate.

"It was a great pleasure, Jack." Locke said, outstretching his hand.

Something in the way that he said it told Jack that he wasn't just talking about the impromptu trek and conversation. He was talking about all of it, the journey that took them so long to come to mutual terms with. He knew that this was goodbye, at least for the time being. He took his hand, shaking it.

"If you follow the trail I left behind, you should reach Kate in no time."

"Thank you John." Jack said. "And good luck."

"Good luck to you too." Locke said with a smile, disappearing into the jungle.

Jack stood there for a little while longer, taking the spectacular vision to memory. Then, he turned to embark on the trail that would lead him back to her, so that he could share with her what they still had to explore.

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_**God, I LOVE Jack and Locke. ;) Coming up: More Jate alone-time and more of our favorite Losties will pop up. Who's gonna show up next? :P **_


	7. Chapter 7

She heard his approaching footsteps as he appeared from the jungle. She rose, greeting him with a wide smile. He moved over to her at the same moment she reached him.

"Hey." Jack said, looking down at her, his hands coming to rest on her hips.

"Hey." Kate said. "Where's John?"

"I don't know. He led me on the trail and then we went our separate ways. Whenever he is, I'm sure he's fine."

"He's probably on that walkabout he always wanted to take." She said with a shrug.

"Did you two talk?" She asked.

"Aha. So, that's why you wanted to hang back, because you wanted me and Locke to bond." He said.

"Of course. I know how guilty you felt when you found out that he died. I just thought that you could take this opportunity to talk things through, tell him about all the changes that you went through after you left the Island." She said.

He nodded at her reasoning, but the small stab of grief in her tone bothered him. Thinking about that time, when he was morphing into someone that she had so much trouble recognizing had to be hard for her. He knew that in his case, they were the toughest memories he could ever bring himself to think about.

"So did you?" She asked. "Talk? Bond? Even a little?"

"More than ever before actually. He lived a life full of tragedy and rejection. I think I understand him more than I ever did before, why he was so connected to this place."

"Well, that's good right?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's great. Thank you for suggesting it." He said. "How is it that you always know what I need?"

"Because I love you, and you're welcome." She said, squeezing his hand.

"So what do we do now?"

"We find somewhere where I can finish what you started or did you forget already?" He teased, giving her a kiss that lasted longer than he intended, her fingers combing through the hair at the back of his head.

"Oh I remember. It's all I can think about." She said once they jointly pulled out of the kiss.

"Well, lets scout for a good place to make camp." He said.

The humidity continued to make their adventure trying and taxing, the sun beaming over their heads, a beautiful, but insufferable presence that followed their every step. He caught himself watching her, the way her hips swayed slightly when she was casually walking and swiftly when she picked up the pace, how her right hand brushed against her thigh whenever she made a step, and how her freckles seemed wider across her flushed cheeks. He followed the line of her neck to the valley between her breasts, anxious to bury his face there. Her elegance shined through so effortlessly, even though she easily embraced her tomboy side and preferred it to a swanky dress, high-heels and makeup any day.

She stopped and leaned near a tree, using the bark for support as she tied her unraveling shoelaces. She kneeled right in his eyesight, her jeans sticking to her like a second skin. He cocked his head as he rested his hand against a nearby tree branch, his tired eyes taking in the show she unintentionally put on for him. She felt his eyes on her, and then turned, watching as he continued to bore holes into her, his eyes steamy, glazed with infatuation. She just stared right back, with the same smile she remembered being unable to hide when she asked this question the first time, only this time, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was, even if his response was an attempt to mask the intent of his gaze.

"Are you checking me out?" She asked, feigning shock and disbelief.

"What?" He asked incredulously, taunting her by answering her question with a question.

"You heard me. You were checking me out, I could tell." She laughed.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He almost drew blood when he bit the inside of his lip to refrain from laughing.

He moved past her, continuing on the trail, his smile coming into view when he turned to look at her standing there, her lips turning up into a grin.

"Okay. Fine. Don't admit it. See if you get laid at any point in the future." She warned.

"Yeah, if this morning was any indication, we'll see just how long you last before you're jumping my bones." He scoffed teasingly.

"Are you saying that I can't withhold having sex with you?" She asked, slightly affronted by his arrogance.

"Well, you weren't supposed to last past your wake-up call…and you did…twice. Not to mention what you were about to do to me in that net." He reminded her.

"Hmm, well I distinctly remember someone's hand between my thighs when I was asleep last night. So who's unable to keep their hands off of whom here, stud?" She asked with a playful smile.

She saw the color rise in his cheek "I guess we can call it a tie." He said with a wink.

She simply laughed, running to catch up with him and placing a kiss to his upper arm before taking his hand back into hers. They continued to walk, until he stopped abruptly.

"What's wrong?" She asked, watching as his face contorted in concentration. He brought a finger over his lips in the universal 'be quiet' signal.

"Do you hear that?" He whispered.

"Hear what?" She whispered back.

"It sounds like…water. Running water." He said.

She listened more closely, and suddenly heard the faint sound of a heavy shower in the distance. They moved through the trees towards the sound, which became clearer and clearer the closer they got. They pulled back a sheet of leaves that obstructed their view and discovered the source of the sound.

A never-ending stream of water spilled over the face of a tall and expansive mountain hill into the steep pond below, its surface sprinkled with dew. Sunlight glossed over the rippled tide that the free flowing torrent created. It reminded them of the calm waterfall in the caves, only more massive, tumultuous and domineering, the top of the cliff so high they had to look to the sky to catch it. The bright green of the wild moss and other plant life contrasted with the deep, dark browns of the rockslide. A bed of rocks surrounded the pond in scattered patterns, while a plot of white sand, soft and plush, framed the rest. The cool water and light wind cast a fresh waft over their skin, making them shiver, not from being cold, but from feeling a sense of comfort in the space. It provided a feeling of privacy and enclosure.

"Thank God." She said on a relieved sigh as she moved towards the water. She let her backpack fall off of her shoulders when she sat within the bed of rocks, ready for some rest and relaxation, the toll of the trek finally showing again in her slumped shoulders. She sat down within the bed of rocks and dipped her hands into the cool water, its temperature surging over the skin of her palms and radiating elsewhere.

He sat down across from her on the rocks. She eventually stood in front of him. He reached out, his large hands cupping her waist and smoothing over the slight swell of her hips and thighs, his fingers finally curving through the belt loops of her jeans, urging her closer, until he leaned his forehead against her stomach. She combed her fingers through his hair as she felt his breath blow over the exposed strip of skin at the edge of her jeans. He pulled her shirt up a little and laid a lingering kiss over the underside of her stomach, his lips brushing over her skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

"So…are you ready for me to finish?" His voice rumbled against her already quaking insides, providing the proper momentum and force for the molten flood of need pooling between her thighs.

She looked down at him, his eyes so deep that she could dive into them. She stepped away from his touch with a teasing smirk. Then he saw that look in her eyes again, that look that always got him in big trouble.

"Before we get to that, I thought we could do something else." She said with a wild smile, catching him off guard.

Before he could think of what she had in mind, she pulled her t-shirt over her head, and dragged her jeans over her legs and off. His eyes were glued to her as she walked towards the shore's edge, and then unhooked her bra, throwing it at him with a giggle, and bent over to release her panties from her ankles. She turned to look at him, his eyes caressing her naked body admiringly, her skin wrapped up in sunlight. He licked his lips at the sight. She turned back to the water, walking towards the edge, and then whipped her eyes back to his, his gaze never leaving her.

"Catch me if you can!" She said right before she dived into the water with a small splash.

He dropped his head with a smile and a chuckle, this free-spirited love of his life so unpredictable. Life was always a rush with this woman, even in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Amid the tight schedule that involved his job, raising a child and living together, she made their romantic life feel so uprooted and spontaneous. It kept things interesting and fun. Anyone could have seen her undressing, the risky ambiance of swimming around naked in the middle of the jungle turned him on in a way that he'd never experienced before, in a way that only she could come up with and deliver. He looked up and saw her in the middle of the shimmering water. She swam around for awhile, bobbing to the surface only to disappear into the depths of the water, splashing around with innocent glee. She appeared again, and this time she wasn't content with playing in the water all by herself.

"I'm waiting!" She yelled over the roar of the waterfall behind her.

He didn't know what he was waiting for, her naked body calling out to him, even when it was immersed in all that water. As much as she wanted him to play with her, he needed her, badly, and he didn't care what he had to do to have her.

He stripped down until he stood there naked, her cat-calls and whistles making him smile. He dived into the cold water and swam after her. He came up two feet from her, gasping and sputtering, but he'd barely hauled in a lungful of air before he felt a punch of water splashed in his face, not once, but twice. Then in one long stroke, she swam closer and clutched her hands over his shoulders and pushed him back into the water. When he finally emerged, she did it again, her laughter trailing over the water's surface, reaching his ears underwater. He emerged and soon discovered that he was alone.

"Kate?" He asked, sloshing around in the water, a pang of worry lodged in his gut.

"Up here!" He heard from a distance.

She stood at the top of the waterfall, in all her prideful glory. She jumped from the cliff canon-ball style, clashing with the water's surface a few feet in front of him, the splash huge for such a small body.

"Enjoying yourself?" He asked with a giggle, taking her into his arms soon after she retreated to the surface.

She was about to answer when he plastered her with a kiss on her mouth, opening his lips wide over hers. The kiss was so wet, so hot, so passionate that she felt steam shoot through her veins, whatever chilliness the water caused was extinguished by the fire brewing low in her belly, growing more powerful with every pull of his lips. He used his body to keep her afloat, her limbs tangled around his waist and neck. She felt his erection brush against her inner thigh and she didn't care to wait any longer, ready and willing to take him right there in the middle of the pond. She reached and wrapped her hand around the firm, smooth appendage, stroking him as hard and as fast as the water would allow. He gently moved her hand away, kissing her on the lips once more.

"Not here." He said, realizing that they were too far from the sandy shore for his patience to last.

He swam towards the rain of water falling into the pond, and pulled them through to the other side. The rush of water boomed around them, ricocheting into the air between them. She opened her lips over his as he sat her up on a platform within the small cove that was hidden behind the heavy downpour. Her body was displayed to him then, her nipples hard and tight, every inch of her slick and dripping. His hands roamed everywhere, settling at her pussy, her clit swollen, bulging. He rubbed and pulled at it with his fingertips while his mouth played with her breasts, teasing her nipples by biting down gently, trapping them between his teeth, and then releasing them.

His lips moved down her stomach, sipping the water from her skin, his tongue leaving a damp trail in its path. He positioned her legs over his shoulders, the small tuft of hair between her thighs hid what he was after. He opened her with his fingertips and placed an open mouth kiss right over the heart of her, his tongue saturated with the wetness that oozed out of her. So surprised and dazed by the swirl of ecstasy blinding her, she ran her fingers through his hair, tugging at it as he continued to ply her with strokes of his tongue and nibbles of his teeth. He sucked the small nub into his mouth repeatedly, adding one finger at a time into her, the pressure mounting.

"Jack, Oh God!" She moaned loudly.

Her panting vibrated off the walls of the rocks that enclosed them, spurning him on. He sped up, biting and nipping at her and suddenly she was screaming his name, his wet hair still caught between the fists of her small hands, her thighs quivering, her hips bucking into his mouth, the electric ripples emanating from the very spot he touched to the very tips of every extremity. He licked at her greedily until every drop was taken up. He rose to her face, and found that her eyes were still closed.

He let her recover and kept her steady, her back against the rocks, water sprinkling around them like raindrops. She eventually opened her eyes and when she saw the brown hues in the eyes of the man she didn't think she could live without looking back at her with a tenderness that made her heart leap, she smiled, never experiencing the level of happiness that she was in this moment.

"Are you okay?" He asked, swiping her damp curls from her forehead.

"God I love you." She sighed breathlessly.

"I'm sure that's the endorphins talking." He teased.

She took his full erection into her hand again, rose higher on his waist and then lowered herself onto him until he filled her to the brim, sinking onto him as much as she could. Their breaths sagged in their lungs at the connection. He went slow at first and then pounded into her hard, with complete abandon, but still she felt his gentleness and care, it still showed in the way he held her and how he kept her gaze as he moved inside of her. The feel of him sliding in and out of her so good she never dreamed of sharing this with anyone else, this secret paradise that she only knew with him, the only true home she ever had. Her hands wandered over his back and shoulders, his muscles flexing and bulging under slick, hot skin. They held each other as they fell over the precipice together, their moans and gasps rumbling over the current and into the adjoining jungle, so complete in each other's arms, not even death could tear them apart.

She laid her head on his shoulder and tied her legs around his waist as his body trembled then bottomed out, but he still anchored her against the rockslide. Her arms wrapped around his neck, hugging him to her, her own shudders settling.

"I love you too. More than you can ever know." He said with a tired smile. His tone gave away his exhaustion and his happiness.

When he had mustered enough energy to do so, he urged her to hold tight to him as he swam back to the shore, content to just lay naked with her in the sand for a little while, enjoying just holding each other. The level of intimacy it provided was just as satisfying as the sex that always happened so naturally and passionately between the two of them.

"Mmm. I don't think I'll be able to walk for a week." She teased, laying a kiss to his shoulder.

"Was I too rough?" He asked.

"Are you kidding? You were fabulous. I wonder where all that passion came from, Dr. Shephard." She said adoringly.

"It's always you. Just fun, sexy, irresistible you." He complimented her.

"Oh yeah?" She asked.

"Yep. You're the only woman who has the power to make me wish I was still in my twenties, that's for sure." He said with a lopsided grin.

"Well, twenties, thirties, forties, it doesn't matter, stud. I can't imagine it ever not being _that_ good between us." She said, leaning in to kiss him.

"It'll be dark soon. We should make camp, get a fire going." He said.

Darkness blanketed the sky. She laid comfortably into the circle of his arms, her back pressed and curved against the expanse of his chest as they stared into the fire that roared under the stars in the night sky. She shifted in his arms, looking up at him.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked.

He met her eyes, sparkling in the glow of the fire. "What makes you think that I'm thinking about anything?"

"Your brow is all scrunched up." She noted all too easily.

"It is?" He lifted one hand to check, smiled slightly, and then made a conscious effort to relax his forehead.

"So spill it. What's on your mind, Jack?" She asked, sitting up fully, wrapping the blanket around her as she turned to face him.

"I was just thinking about Locke. Something he said just…stuck with me." He said with a resigned sigh.

He was silent then, sharing as much of his thoughts as his emotions would allow, but if he knew her like he did, she wasn't settling for that as easily as he hoped.

"You're really gonna make me drag it out of you, aren't you?" She teased.

He laughed, and decided that he might as well go through with it. "Did you ever know that John had someone in his life? Someone he loved?"

She tried to recall. "Yeah. He came to my house back in L.A. a few days before he died, begging me to come back to the Island. I told him no, and I asked him if he'd ever been in love."

His hands came to rest on her shoulders, dragging them up and down her arms to keep her warm against the slight chill of the night.

"He told me about this woman…Helen. He said it didn't work out because he was obsessed."

He hung his head. "That doesn't sound familiar to you, Kate? Not even in the least?"

She urged him to look her in the eyes and there it was again. That look, full of guilt and remorse, heavy with worry. She really wanted him to get rid of that look for good, because it always stole away happiness that he really deserved to have, to feel.

"Jack, what is this about?" She asked, running her palm down his cheek, her fingertips playing on the slight curve of his collarbone.

"I walked out on you, on what I promised you. To never hurt you and make you feel like you and Aaron weren't important to me. I broke that promise, because I was scared and confused. You asked me to trust you, and it wasn't that I didn't, I just…lost it." He said, swiping his hand through his hair.

"Sawyer's favor was to take money to his daughter. That was it. His old girlfriend was a woman that I met before I even knew who he was. She helped me when I was on the run two years before the crash. We bonded and I enjoyed talking to her, but it was never about us, Jack. If you believe anything, please believe me when I tell you that." She pleaded.

"I do believe you, but you're not the one who needs to explain what happened, Kate." He said.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I never told you this, but…" He paused, taking in a long breath. "I saw my father at the hospital."

"What? How…" She couldn't even bring herself to form the question.

"I was in my office studying scans, recording my notes like I always did, and then that damn smoke alarm went off in the lobby. I went to fix it and then I saw him. He was _right_ there, and in that moment I knew that I would lose you, _everything_, if I let him get to me again. I knew I wouldn't be able to breathe if that happened."

"Oh Jack." She sighed.

"So, I started drinking. A lot. In a way that I never had before, in a way I shouldn't have been, but it was the only way I could drown out the thoughts that ran rampant in my head, the idea that the Island wasn't done with me."

"What does this have to do with John and Helen?" She asked after a long pause.

"He loved her, Kate. He really did, he still does. He was ready to marry her, but he couldn't let go. He let his obsessions and his anger destroy them. She died with the idea that she would never be his number one priority and he never got to know if she ever forgave him for it, for breaking her heart, for ruining what they had."

It took her a minute to take in what he was implying. "Is that what you think happened to us?"

"Kate, my cheek still hasn't stopped stinging from when you slapped me at the airport." He said with a pinch of humor, making her laugh.

"Okay, okay. So I was really pissed at you." She said with a coy smile, rolling her eyes. "But that doesn't mean that I never reached a place where I could forgive you, because I did. I missed you. Aaron missed you. And don't think for a second that I didn't feel like I mattered to you more than anything else. You feel stronger than anyone I have ever met in my life and I felt it every second we were together."

"But, you were still unhappy about me going back to the Island." He pointed out.

"I was. I just thought that you would come back home, but you didn't. If anything Jack, you kept me honest. Aaron wasn't my son and I couldn't just forget about Claire and go on living a lie, wishing and hoping that no one would come to my door and take him away from me, which would have been harder to deal with than giving him back to whom he belonged. I didn't see it in the beginning, but I knew in my heart that you were doing the right thing. I had to find Claire. I had to put things back to how they were supposed to be."

He nodded, taking in all the fear she must have gone through when Aaron was almost taken away from her. He was there to see the agony in her eyes when faced with that possibility and the pain in her face when she came to him after giving him up, begging him to never ask where Aaron was.

"I think the moment I decided that it didn't really matter how angry I'd been at you was when you stormed off to erase our life together. I couldn't let you do that, but my complete inability to stop loving you and your damn logic won out in the end."

'_It wasn't all misery.'_

In that moment, she staked her claim, made her declaration, that no matter how hard a hand they were dealt throughout their relationship, she still saw something worth fighting for. That tear that fell down her cheek still haunted him, because he wasn't able to wipe it away and tell her that everything would be okay. He felt the urge to tell her his real motivation behind the hydrogen bomb, but he was suddenly caught up by what she just said.

"You still loved me? Even when I was being a jerk? Even when my logic was dead wrong?" He asked.

"Of course I did. I'm pretty sure I loved you from the moment I saw you, even when you were driving me crazy." She said, making him laugh.

"I'm not exactly innocent here, Jack. I made mistakes with our relationship too, even before we got together that made things harder once we did." She admitted.

She crawled into his lap and cupped her hands over the broadness of his shoulders, stroking her fingers over his skin.

"Jack, you have to let this go. All of it. There were so many times when I wanted your forgiveness more than anything and you gave it to me without reason. It took me a long time to feel deserving of that, but you deserve it, you always have. We're even. You have my forgiveness, unconditionally. You have me, forever. Get used to it."

He heard the familiar no-nonsense ring in her tone and he knew that the discussion came to a close right then and there.

"Yes ma'am." He teased.

She saw that smile on his lips, the smile that always melted her bones into putty. He cupped her face in his hands, his lips dragging over hers until he opened his mouth, passionately devouring her with all he had left to give. She physically felt the calm flood wash him away, all of his mistakes losing every ounce of power they had to make him feel like he didn't deserve this, because she just gave him the key that finally opened him up to the realization that he truly did.

He woke up the next morning with her in his arms, in the same position that she was in when she fell asleep the night before. She opened her eyes a few seconds later, looked up and saw him staring down at her. She crawled from under the blanket towards his face and gave him a quick peck on the lips as his hands began to roam over her back and behind.

"I'm still naked, which means no striptease for you." She laughed.

"As much as I enjoyed the show, that's fine by me." He said, continuing to caress her soft, warm skin underneath the blanket.

She leaned in and kissed him fully, laughing relentlessly when he found all of her most ticklish spots. He laughed along with her, his lips glued to the exposed skin of her freckled shoulder.

"_Son of a bitch._"

She heard the voice come from close by, but she couldn't help but think that she imagined it. She looked up, shocked by who was standing there, with one hand over his eyes to shield his view of what he obviously stumbled upon by accident.

"Sawyer?"

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_**I hate cliffhangers, but I had to do it. Sorry! I hope to be quicker with the next chapter. Keyword being 'hope'. ;) **_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Your reviews are my salvation. Thank you so much for leaving them. Now, onto Chapter 8!**_

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"You decent yet, Freckles?" Sawyer asked, his back turned to Jack and Kate as they continued to gather their clothes and dress.

"Yeah. You can turn around now."Kate said, pulling her shirt over her head and finally zipping her jeans.

"What are you doing out here, James?" Jack asked, a pinch of exasperation in his tone as he tied the laces on his boot.

"Wow. No 'Hey James! Long time, no see!'?" Sawyer scoffed sarcastically. "It's nice to see you too, Doc."

Before he could respond with more attitude than necessary towards someone he has come to consider a good friend, Jack reigned in his mounting irritation, stood and extended his hand in Sawyer's direction.

"I'm sorry. It's nice to see you, James." Jack said.

Sawyer relented and took his friend's hand, giving it a strong, steady shake.

"What the hell are you two doin' out here anyway? As if I have to ask." Sawyer jeered.

"Actually, we decided to find everyone." Kate piped up, pulling the ends of her long curls from underneath her shirt and sticking her feet into her shoes.

"What about you? What are you doing walking around the jungle all by yourself?" Jack asked.

"Same reason as you. I come out here for a few hours every day to see if I can track anyone down. I ain't had much luck besides you two. As it turns out, I can't track worth a lick. You two find anyone yet?" Sawyer asked.

"We ran into Rose and Bernard, and then we caught up with Locke, but besides that, no one else." Jack explained.

"Hmm. Hurley came by the barracks a few days ago, told me that he was just checkin' in, and then he just vanished before I could ask him anything." Sawyer said.

"Hurley's been pretty busy then, because Rose, Bernard and Locke told us that he visited them too." Jack said.

"Well, ain't that one big coincidence." Sawyer quipped, pondering just what his friend was up to.

"Did you say the barracks? As in the Dharma barracks?" Kate asked.

"Yeah. The entire compound is still intact, just like we left it back in 1977. It's like a ghost town, ironically enough. Where you two been shacked up since the big lift?" Sawyer asked.

"We've been in the caves." Jack said.

"Huh, how fittin'." Sawyer groaned, suddenly reminded of how utterly miserable they were without each other when they were forced to separate that first week after the crash, one determined to stay on the beach to run again when the opportunity presented itself to her and the other dead-set on taking up refuge in the caves for his own valid reasons. He was happy that they finally came full-circle.

"Well, unless you want to get back to your rendezvous here in the middle of nowhere, Blondie is expecting me to be home soon and she would love to see a few friendly faces. What do you say?" Sawyer offered.

Jack and Kate simultaneously looked over at each other for some sign of approval for the offer.

"Sure." Kate finally said, reading the nonchalant glint in Jack's eyes. He didn't care either way and neither did she.

Jack led them through the tall shrubs and scattered tree stems, taking Sawyer's direction as to which way to go as he followed close behind him to make sure he didn't veer onto the wrong path. Kate brought up the rear, taking her time and walking at her own pace.

Sawyer waited up for her, his voice soft. "So, Freckles, what's it like having the Doc back?"

She looked at him with subtle shock, the seriousness of his question throwing her, especially after the awkward moment they all just suffered through together.

"What? No sarcastic quip about seeing me and Jack in the buff just an hour ago?" She asked with a joking smile.

"I was gonna get to that after you answered my question." He countered.

"It's incredible James. Living all those years without him, missing him to the point of insanity, it's like we picked up right where we left off when we said goodbye on that cliff. The second chance we always needed." She explained.

"I'm assuming it's the same with you and Juliet."

"It's…_surreal_. The last time I saw her she was dying in my arms, blood everywhere and now it's like she's the liveliest being I've ever seen. I would never trade this for what my life was like without her." He admitted.

For as long as she'd known Sawyer, she never knew him to talk about such deep, effecting emotions openly and without discomfort, especially in a way that she would deem elegiac.

His life after the Island was just as tumultuous as hers. Even though he lost Juliet close to a week or so before she lost Jack and he spent time on the Island grieving her, the pain still plagued him long after they finally lifted away from the dusty grounds of the Island. Kate found herself split between taking care of a timid Claire, a confused, fragile Aaron and tending to a broken, unrecognizable Sawyer, who really had no one else to lean on. His quick wit and overburdened sense of humor was lost in the throes of grief that he hadn't known since he was a small child who was too young to understand that the world could be such a cruel and unfair place.

She would get calls from him, drunken and out of control in some loud bar, just calling to tell her how good the scotch felt burning down his throat for the umpteenth time, when it was really a heavy cry for help, his steady pride and tried and true machoisms wouldn't just ask her outright for it. She would often arrive at his place unexpectedly, knocking on the door endlessly until he had finally arisen from bed, the smell of alcohol burning her nostrils once he did answer the door, his dirty blond locks disheveled and his five-o-clock shadow sprouting into a full grown beard. He lived amongst the debris of his devastation, just as she did.

'_I think some of us are meant to be alone_'.

She had never seen him more broken than he was in that moment, and when he said _that_, that maybe he was just meant to be alone, roaming through the world in miserable abandon, she was dangerously close to believing that it was the same tragic fate she would have to suffer. The distance between her and Jack constantly discouraged and frustrated her. It felt like the space between them rivaled the thousands of miles between the sun and moon, and she was desperate to fill the void, but didn't really know how, and worse, she wasn't sure if Jack would receive her and wrap his arms around her, the circle of his arms the home she felt destitute, lost at bay without. He blew the bomb after all and never said a thing about how it would affect them; not the group, not the circumstances, not the Island, just the two of them.

When she saw the ring that Sawyer had planned to give to Juliet, it was like she was sucker-punched in the gut with how much he had lost, how much she had taken from him, and most selfishly, how her ring finger stood bare, vacant, the simple diamond ring that Jack gave her lying in her jewelry box back at the house he made a home, untouched but thought of often in the months she spent away from him. It was especially hard to look at, to wear after she knew that Jack would never come back to fulfill the promise that it represented, but it was still comforting to wear on a chain around her neck from time to time, helping her to feel closer to him.

It was her honor to introduce Sawyer to his five-year-old daughter, who favored his features more so than her mother. At that point, his entire life had changed in a way that opened the door to his new beginning, becoming so engrossed in this tiny litter person that he was responsible for creating and vowing to protect, shooing away any guy who came to his doorstep to ask for her hand for as long as he could. He arrived at her doorstep unexpectedly one evening, excited, smiling, rushing her to join him for a surprise dinner that he spared no expense on, claiming to have big news. He told her that he signed up for the police academy on a whim and was accepted into an extensive training program. He was becoming the man that she always knew he had the potential to be. Fatherhood was Sawyer's true lifeline, opening him up to a better life, but still wrought with missing Juliet so much that it would always hurt to breathe.

He was a good friend, whom she realized was never going to be anything more than that very early on, even when she tried to force it into something, to feel like she belonged, to feel like getting over the unnerving threat of rejection that Jack posed when she never really gave herself a chance to be with someone miles out of her league could be any easier than the effortless fall of loving him more than she once thought her heart was capable of.

"I know exactly what you mean." Kate sighed, staring ahead at the tall and lean stature of the man she waited a lifetime to simply touch again move effortlessly through the bright flora.

She smiled at the swift onslaught of heat rising in her face when she thought of what Sawyer must have witnessed from his vantage point when he ran into their tangled limbs and pressed torsos in the sand. Jack was completely mortified, rushing to cover them with the blanket that was twisted between their legs, while she laughed until her sides hurt, Jack's tickling fingers, beet-red face and Sawyer's frustrated groaning made her completely lose it.

Her smile faded when she suddenly felt a slight haze of dizziness cast over her consciousness, causing her to misstep on an upturned tree root and completely loses her balance. Sawyer's cat-like reflexes caught her before she could crash to the ground, and before Jack ever noticed what almost just happened behind him, continuing to walk obliviously through the leaves.

"You okay Kate?" Sawyer asked distressingly but low enough for only her to hear. The only time he used her actual name was when he was concerned about her, protective like a good friend should be.

She wrestled herself from his hold, unsure of what just happened, but gaining her steadiness hurriedly.

"Yeah. I'm fine, I just tripped, that's all." She responded quickly, almost defensively.

"Are you sure that's all?" He pushed, still able to see the signs of her making things look less pressing than they really were.

"Yes. Why wouldn't I be sure?" She barked, and this time, she was full-on defensive.

"Now don't go biting my head off. I'm just trying to help." He groaned.

"I'm sorry. It was just a misstep. Thanks for catching me. That would have been a really ugly dive otherwise." She admitted with an apologetic smirk.

Sawyer was about to speak up again when Jack suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. "I can see the compound from here, which means that we might be within a few hundred yards or so."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Sawyer moved to lead them through the wide plot of grass that framed the compound.

They finally reached the outskirts of the Dharma compound, the dim yellow painted structures coming into full view, juxtaposed incongruously with the vast and bellowing mountain ranges and harsh grasslands of the Island. Déjà vu blinded Kate, who suddenly became awash with memories of sneaking onto the very grounds that Sawyer now called home to rescue everything that ever mattered to her, the only man who had ever selflessly decided to lay himself on the carving block for _her_, the rifle slung over her shoulder the only artillery that she needed to get him back, ready to blow anyone away who decided to get in her way.

'_I can't leave without you!_'

She meant it, her skin vibrated with the truth of it. When the wet cage bars against her torso and the cold steel tip of the gun's barrel against her back shattered her hope of freedom, hearing Jack's voice on the other end rejuvenated the faith that she could find him, that it was physically possible to get to him. He was telling her to go, to leave him behind, just like he had on that cliff, and she knew that he would have carry her to the plane himself if it meant saving her, fatal wound and all, just like she knew that never revealing his location to her was his way of deterring her from coming back for him.

She recalled stumbling upon him seated at the bench of the quaint piano, the line of his shoulders as relaxed as she had ever seen them, stroking the white and black keys with long, nimble fingers that moved without instruction, revealing another hidden, practiced, perfected talent in his large repertoire that strummed at her heart, licked at her soul. When he finally saw her standing there, her eyes lit with the emotions raging through her veins, staring at him with barefaced infatuation that swallowed him whole, his face was struck with a horror that she didn't understand, that she feared meant that she was too late.

She never thought that he would have ever forgiven her for what she almost did to them, for what he felt she was choosing over what they came to mean to each other, deciding to leave to get help, but also to escape the view in his head of her with someone else. But as she remembered the solemn, cleansing moment they shared the night before, when forgiveness and acceptance took down the shackles of the long dreaded nemesis of misunderstandings and mistakes, a smile lit her tired face.

"What are you smiling about?" Jack asked from beside her.

She didn't notice that he was watching her; one step of his foot was the equivalent of two for her significantly shorter legs.

"What do you think?" She said with a wink.

"Oh let me guess. That embarrassing moment from this morning." He groaned, the idea of Sawyer witnessing them at their most intimate and exposed still prickled his skin with irritance.

"I have to say Doc, it was a beholden sight to see you so embarrassed, when you have absolutely _nothing_ to be embarrassed about." She laughed, playfully swatting her palm over his butt to punctuate her naughty insinuation.

He shook his head mischievously with a crafty grin on his lips. "Compliments will get you everywhere."

"Is that right?" She asked all too seriously, with a sensual slide of her hips in his direction.

"Absolutely." Jack whispered with a wink.

Sawyer turned a corner from the vacant communal courtyard and approached the home that he shared with Juliet.

"You guys stay out here for a second." Sawyer instructed as he plucked a sunflower from a decorative flowerpot, and climbed the steps to his front door, leaving Jack and Kate to stand on the porch.

He opened the door tentatively, slowly, so that he wasn't caught in the act before he even sprung his surprise on her. He inched towards the kitchen, noticing the place settings on their dining table, a bowl of tossed salad in the center and a bottle of Dharma's finest Merlo, ready to be poured into the two wine glasses.

He caught her lithe figure bent over, peering into the oven. She finally reached in with her glove-covered hand and grabbed the tray of freshly-baked banana-nut muffins from the top rack. She brought them to her nose, smiling warmly at the balmy, buttery, mouthwatering waft that curled up in the air from the muffin's steadily rising fluff. She was never much of a baker, of a homemaker really, but she was proud of her progress, and she wanted James to come home to a tasty meal.

"Honey I'm home." Sawyer said with a smile, catching the joyous shock in Juliet's icy blue orbs as she turned to see him standing there, leaning against the wall, a lone sunflower in his hand. He playfully twirled the stem between his fingers, causing the pencil-shaped petals to turn and dance in the air, their golden hue the same shade as the long, pressed locks that flowed down her back.

"Is that for me?" She asked jokingly, leaning into the nearby counter, her arms crossed guardedly over her chest.

"Unless you got an identical twin running around here that I don't know about..." He teased, watching as she erupted in playful laughter. Her baby blues warmed with amusement.

She walked over shyly, stepping into his personal space, took the sunflower into her hand, smiling bashfully as she admired it, sticking her nose into the petals to smell their natural fragrance. He pulled her into a kiss that showed her how much he missed her, if only for the few hours he was gone.

The sweet gesture always reminded her of the beginning stages of their relationship, when he wouldn't even step onto the porch without a long-stemmed sunflower for her to add to the growing bouquet that she would admire whenever he was away, restless with the thought that he would be back soon with another that she would only add to the flourishing garland, making it look fuller and more abundant with every visit. It was just like their relationship, one step at a time, a harmless courtship born of a promise to have each other's backs blossoming into a full-fledged love affair, until she realized that he was edging himself into her heart every single time, and didn't have plans of walking away like every other man in her life had.

When she released him from the kiss, she kept her arms linked around his neck.

"Thank you." She said.

"You're welcome." He said, his hand coming up to tease the pale strands that cascaded over her cheek as he leaned in, his lips tickling over hers suggestively.

"Oh no buddy, not until you eat your lunch." She said with a smile, taking his hand and guiding him to the dining table.

"Before we get to that, I got something else for ya." He said, watching as she placed the flower into her favorite vase that also sat on the dining table.

She looked around for some physical remnant of a gift that she might have missed.

"You might want to put out two more place settings." He hinted, cocking his head towards the table that was currently set for two.

Her eyes bugged in startled curiosity, her fisted hand trailing from her hip. He uncurled her fingers and took her hand in his, leading her to the door, and opening it to her surprise.

Juliet squealed her happiness upon seeing her dear friends greeting her, her enthusiastic hands pulling Kate into a fierce hug. She hugged her back, just as excitedly, smiling at how delighted Juliet was to see them. She reached for Jack after sharing another giddy moment with Kate, laughing uncontrollably at the sight of her once foe turned good friend, her arms banded around his neck, ushering them into the house as if they were long-lost relatives who finally found their way.

Sawyer watched on with a wide grin, unshed tears of happiness in his eyes at the luminance of Juliet's smile. While they spent three years of their lives in that house, mingling with the unsuspecting Dharma recruits as a means to survive, it was just the two of them. Now, spending every waking minute with one another, marveling with awe at the second chance they've been given, it still felt a little forsaken without people they cared about to share the experience with. With the arrival of their friends, no, their _family_, it was truly starting to feel more like home, more than it ever did before.

* * *

_**Coming up: Jate spends some time in Dharmaville, and later, another one of our favorite Losties pops up! ;)**_


	9. Chapter 9

Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Juliet sat at the dining table, congregated in friendly and amusing conversation over the lunch that Juliet had prepared and generously shared with her guests.

"Wow. That was great, Juliet. I have never eaten that much before." Kate said as she pat her stomach, which bulged from under the T-shirt that was getting tighter and tighter around her midsection with every passing day.

"Mango and trout can get a little mundane after you've had it so many times." Jack admitted.

"Well, I guess that's the benefit to having a cupboard full of Dharma goods. Our scavenging days were over after that." Juliet said.

Sawyer shook his head, as if trying to shake away some absurd thought.

"It's weird dontcha think? That we were all in that world, on that flight and we never remembered each other 'til it was time to. I mean, I caught up with Freckles here, because she was on the run again. I didn't know her from Adam, had no recollection of her at all, and then you run into the one you were always meant to and bam! The life you thought you were livin' really wasn't what you thought it was."

"Yeah, it's so hard to believe that I helped Claire give birth to Aaron…again." Kate said with a slight chuckle.

"It's even harder to believe that the Doc and Blondie were divorced with a kid." Sawyer said before erupting in laughter, slapping his knee for effect. He soon noticed that he was laughing alone.

Uncomfortable silence befell the room. Jack shared a culpable glare with Juliet who turned and saw that Kate watched the moment tentatively, with unease written in her body language. Sawyer immediately felt the tension mounting. He assumed that Kate knew about all of this, but he saw the festering bout of jealousy fall over her eyes. He knew that look all too well. If another woman so much as coughed in Jack's direction, he would turn to her and immediately notice the green firestorm of territorial protectiveness in her eyes.

"Well! I guess it's too early to joke about that, huh?" Sawyer commented with a nervous laugh, trying to resurrect the once jovial atmosphere. It was obvious that he took no issue with it, but Kate obviously didn't share his indifference about it at all.

"Erm. Why don't you two stay here tonight?" Juliet asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Here? Are you guys sure there's enough room? We don't want to intrude." Jack objected.

"No, not here Doc. The house next to us." Sawyer interjected. "It's gotta be more comfortable than where you two were this morning. Lying na—"

"Ahem! We would love to." Jack said quickly, before he strangled Sawyer with his bare hands.

Kate fell onto the king-size bed with a soft thump, its plush fabric and firm cushions made her want to sleep forever. She felt like she could if given the opportunity.

Jack eventually stood in the doorway, watching as she made herself comfortable.

"Jack, don't get me wrong, I love our home in the caves, but this is luxurious." She moaned. "I don't remember these beds being this soft."

"I remember waking up with an ache in my lower back." He offered as he sat down beside her reclined bodice, looking over at her as she closed her eyes.

She was so precious to him, just one look at her and he didn't think that people could ever guess just how strong and persistent she was. She lived through his death and an obscene amount of tragedy and pain, and yet, she looked as delicate as a flower, as fragile as a feather.

"Maybe it was because of all those toilets you had to lean over to clean, Jack the Janitor." She joked.

He laughed in spite of what he wanted to bring up from the awkward conversation at Sawyer and Juliet's dining table. He didn't know how to approach the topic, but he knew that he would dive into these types of things, and with Kate, it would always be head-first, even when he tried not to advance it that way. His inquisitive nature was always so spartanly opposed to her secretive temperament. He would rather ask, and she would opt to conceal. It was one of their biggest obstacles in the earlier days of their inexplicable bond.

"Kate, do you want to talk about—" He started.

Her eyes opened wide as she sat up. "Oh My God! The shower! We have to take one together!" She exclaimed, suddenly full of energy at the thought of taking her first proper shower since forever.

She rose from the bed and ran excitedly into the bathroom across the hallway.

"Kate, I think you should rest a little more first. You were lying here bound for a nap and now you're ready for a shower?" Jack called out, confused by her fluctuating sprouts of vigor, not able to keep up with her at this point.

"Not just any shower, a shower with _you_." She pointed out, as she stepped back into the bedroom. She crawled into his lap, giggling as his hands came down over her jean-clad thighs.

Their clothes lay scattered over the floor, outlining the path from the bedroom to the bathroom's shower stall. She stood under the welcomed stream of hot water as the steam from its warmth began to fog their surroundings. His tall, angular build was the perfect antithesis to her smaller, curvier silhouette as he stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her. They noticed long ago that they fit so perfectly against each other; the top of her head fit ideally against the underside of his chin; his palms curved against the swell her breasts with an exactness that always amazed them. Her back curved against his chest immaculately, like the most complicated piece of a jigsaw falling into place.

He washed her hair, his skilled hands created frothy suds from the palm-full of shampoo he used. He caressed her scalp, combing evenly through the long, heavy strands gingerly, with the care and consideration that she could only trust from Jack. She fell into him, his long fingers combing through her hair causing her to be lulled into a small coma. He steadied her with a strong arm around her waist. She turned to him once she gained her balance; the water washed away the sudsy buildup that surrounded her face like a cloud. She wrapped her slick body around his, encouraging him to finish what they started that morning. They came together quickly and reached draining and incredibly satisfying climax just as quickly, colliding with one another over and over again, until their muscles, their voices screamed in release, until their bodies gave in to the passion that they could never keep to a minimum.

After they got around to an actual shower, they ended up in the bedroom, a slick trail of slippery footsteps and dripping water followed behind them. She pushed him onto the bed, her damp curls embedded in his lap, her warm, wet tongue swathing him from base to tip repeatedly. He grew in her hands, speechless as her smooth palms caused him to focus on breathing through her unbreakable spell. Her head rose and fell over him and she didn't stop until he erupted all over her tongue. His thighs jerked underneath her as he enjoyed the peak of his orgasm, completely blinded, spent across the bed with a stretched, praising groan echoing from his lips, his chest rising on a breath he couldn't keep hold of.

They eventually lay together over the damp, messy bedspread, the ceiling fan casting a nice cooling draft over their skin, pink from the hot water and the fanatical sex they just shared. She propped her chin up on her intertwined fingers that lay between the pecks of his chest, staring at him.

"Are you seriously jealous of my failed marriage to Juliet, a marriage that I can't even remember for the most part?" Jack asked with a teasing playfulness and an edge of seriousness.

"What if I am?" Kate said, her bottom lip poked out, her green eyes solemn.

He groaned. "You are being ridiculous and I can't take you on at all when you're like this."

"I'm being ridiculous?" She asked incredulously.

"Yes. I didn't even know who you were. I mean, I remember bumping into you on the plane, and I felt…this tingling in my chest, like I'd met you before and everything was centered on that feeling. Didn't you?" He asked.

"Of course I did. Then, I saw you standing outside of the airport, and everything felt like it was frozen in time. Our eyes met for the briefest of moments, and something came over me. I felt fixed where I was, immovable, and that was a strange, perplexing sensation for someone who saw running as a way of life." She explained.

"Okay? So? What's the problem?" He asked.

"You really don't see the problem, do you?" She asked.

"No, I can't say that I do." He admitted honestly.

"So…" She said, one of her fingertips brushing lightly across his nipple. "…you wouldn't be a little miffed if you found out that Sawyer and I were in a short relationship two years after we got off the Island?" She asked coolly, satisfied with his angry, heated gaze that penetrated straight through her affectation.

"You're lying." He spat playfully with a little suspicion, narrowing his eyes in her direction, reading trickery in hers.

"How do you know?" She teased.

He looked at her with a scrutinizing scowl, and then his features suddenly melted into certainty. "Because I know."

"That's the thing. I didn't know about you and Juliet." She said.

"Know _what_ about me and Juliet? That the only time I saw her was when we were working in the hospital, and that I felt more out of place as her husband than any other role I've ever had?" He asked.

She just stared at him expectantly, like she was encouraging him to come up with a better way to appease her.

He ran his hand over his face, cursing under his breath. "You have me talking about that marriage like it was real. We were dead, Kate. Phantoms, spirits waiting to move on. You and me, _we_ were real, and I felt it the moment you touched me. All of those flashes of kissing you, watching you, vying to protect you, those moments far outshine whatever you think happened between me and Juliet."

"What about David? Was he real?" She asked as she remembered meeting the handsome teenage boy at the concert, where Claire had introduced them.

Jack faltered, taking the time to think about the son that he missed dreadfully. "I don't know. When I think back, I feel like he was more mine than Juliet's."

"Why do you say that?" She asked.

"There was just so much about him that reminded me of myself at that age. Too much about him screamed at a big part of me that I had locked away, pain that I didn't want to feel because of my childhood and the actual thought that I could be a good father, when I didn't know what a good father was."

"Christian really did a number on you, didn't he?" She mumbled, wrapping her arms around his waist to comfort him.

"Yeah, he did. I was turning into him, slowly, but surely. David and I barely talked when he stayed with me every other week, and when we did, I couldn't get more than two words out of him at a time. That's exactly how I was whenever my dad asked me about school, my piano lessons or anything really. I was terrified of stepping out of line, of being someone who felt comfortable, even complacent with failure, because my father always saw failure as a sign of inadequacy. That's what he told me when I was ten years old, not much younger than David was when I found out that he felt exactly the same way I had, small, helpless, desperate for acceptance however he could get it. And while I never told David the things that my father told me, that's how I made him feel. My son was afraid of me, scared of failing me. Once I figured that out, things changed. It was so cathartic to be the father that I never really had."

She gave him a somber look of understanding. She noticed that his eyes lit up whenever he talked about his son. She loved that look, and she wished that she could fill those caves with his children so that he would never have to feel the sorrow and confusion that he was feeling at the moment.

"So when you ask, _'Was he real?'_, I don't think I can ever give an answer that will satisfy you or anyone else.

Maybe he wasn't real in every sense of the word, but he was real to me, for whatever that's worth."

"I think it's worth more than you think. You were his father; you were in a role that you never thought you would be any good at, even when I told you that you would. You were exposed to vulnerabilities and situations that reminded you too much of your relationship with your dad, and I think that David presented a way to move on from it. You had to face whatever it was you locked away inside of you, before you could let it go." She offered.

"He was quite perfect." He mumbled to no one in particular, his eyes staring vacantly to the ceiling. His mind's eye brought about the view of the son he would never see again.

"Just like his dad, huh?" She asked with a smile.

"Actually, in retrospect…" He studied her, as if he finally realized the painstakingly obvious connection that Kate shared with his son. "…he reminds me a lot of you too."

"Me? How?" Kate said.

"His attitude, his compassion, his _face_. He looked _just_ like you. Freckles, lips, hair and all." Jack said sincerely, twisting a strewn curl around his finger. He even began to notice that their bone structure was eeringly similar as well.

"Oh yeah?" She asked.

"Yeah. Maybe he was a way for me to let go of my own daddy-issues and hold onto you at the same time." He said.

"So why do you think Juliet was his mother?" She asked.

"Because I felt guilty for getting her killed and I needed to make up for that somehow." He said simply, his palm running down the warm, smooth skin of her back, breaching the curve that met her behind.

"I think the only reason that I was connected to Juliet at all in that world was because I needed to give her something that she never had the opportunity to have. When Juliet and I were divorced and raising a kid together, it was easy, light. I've always enjoyed her company and that bond seemed to be honored by the fact that we made better exes than we ever did spouses."

"You didn't get her killed, Jack." She said.

"Yes I did, and Sawyer never let me forget it, and he shouldn't have, because if he had taken you away from me, if he ever played any role in you being put in danger or being killed, I wouldn't have let him forget it, not for a second. I probably would have killed him. It's a miracle that he didn't try hard enough to kill me." He noted.

"I wouldn't have let him touch you, and I don't believe that you could ever bring yourself to kill him. Besides, if you got Juliet killed, so did I." She said.

"How's that?" He asked.

"If it wasn't for me, she would have never been at that Swan site in the first place. She would have married Sawyer and they would have had a happy life together, as far away from the Island as possible. I dragged them both kicking and screaming into that situation. You're a bull when you're determined, Jack Shephard. I needed reinforcements."

He giggled. Memories of her seething in his direction about how wrong his entire plan was rang in his head. It wasn't a laughing matter then, as he watched the distance between them grow wider when she stormed off in a rage, but it certainly was now.

"I put the entire situation in motion, and I put everyone at risk, including you. I would have given anything to change what happened to Juliet, to fix it, but the last time I tried to fix something, it was a disaster."

"Okay, so you can have the whole guilt pie, but I'm determined to share it with you." She smiled.

She shook her head. "At the time, I was just so desperate. I just couldn't accept that you were giving up on me, on us."

"Wait, what?" He asked.

He saw the tears well up in her eyes. That said more than words ever could.

"Is that what you think I was trying to do?" He asked.

"Well, when we got captured by the Hostiles, I asked you what was going to happen to us, you and me, if you were really willing to let me go so easily, and you said that there was too much misery to ever want to go back."

'_Enough of it was._'

He didn't realize the gravity of what those words could have possibly meant to her, he just knew that he had to change the situation for good, to wipe the slate clean. Faraday was so logical, so intense that it was contagious to him, a man of a similar logical zest and mindframe. He caught onto it quickly, like a fire sweeping through a dry brush on the windiest day. His determination, zeal for this second chance to put things back how they were supposed to be was what he thought the Island called him back for. He waited for weeks, cleaned bathroom stalls, wiped blackboards, and moped floors for this one mission to show itself, and it took Kate mere seconds to get it all wrong. He couldn't really blame her, because when he wanted something that he didn't think he deserved to have, he kept his mouth shut. How could she have possibly known what he wanted when he was too introverted and ashamed to ask for it?

"I can't believe that Sawyer never told you. That guy is never one to keep his mouth shut." He huffed.

Her brow creased, her confusion set. "Wait, what does Sawyer have to do with anything?"

He blew out a shaky breath. "Do you remember when Sawyer and I went off to have a talk? When he was trying to talk me out of detonating the bomb?"

"Yeah…" Kate drawled out cautiously, as if another bomb was about to drop.

"Well, after all of the welcomed insults about how insane my plan was, he asked me one thing. '_What do you want?_' It's such a simple question, one that I had never been asked before. But the moment I heard him ask me, I knew that my plan wasn't what I was making it out to be, not entirely. It was more complicated, convoluted, wrapped up in my own drowning hopes and wishful dreams."

He took a deep breath, because what he was about to say next could be a complete hit or a devastating miss.

"It all came down to getting you back, Kate."

She rose onto her forearms, anchored on each side of his broad torso, looking down at him with startled perplexity, and then it finally set in.

"Wait, you blew the bomb for _me_?" She asked,

He nodded. "For the most part, yes."

She collapsed onto his chest with a tired, frustrated grunt. She was sprawled out over him, her curls tickling the underside of his arm and chest as the silky locks slid from where they lay when she sat up over him. Her lips were pressed into the skin of his neck, her nose tickled his earlobe. She was quiet, too quiet, like a ticking time-bomb, ready to blow with a deafening blast at any minute. He would have been much more comfortable if she yelled at him, hit him, stormed out of bed in a fit of fury, but she just laid there, the body heat between them comforted his thoughts that maybe she wouldn't dig into him, but he knew that it was about to get even more heated as memories of her rocket temper rose inside of him.

He brought his large hands over her back, not sure what else to do but hold her.

"Why didn't you just tell me that when I came back to stop you?" She finally spoke, her voice crackling with emotion, her tears spilling onto the skin of his shoulder.

Sawyer had suggested that, Jack thought to himself. Sometimes the guy had a few good ideas up his sleeve.

"I didn't think that it would do any good. I thought it was too late." He tried to comfort her.

"Do you realize that I spent our last few weeks together thinking that you never wanted to see me again? That you wanted to erase us? That the Island meant more to you than me?" She asked, her voice rising into a roar. He knew that roar all too well and couldn't face what it might lead up to.

"Kate, I never thought that you still cared, that you wanted me anymore. I swear." He defended himself

"How could I not care? I got on that plane with you! I rushed from the submarine to stop you! I tried to get you to see that I was still fighting, and I thought that I was fighting alone." She looked mad, really mad. He was scared for his well-being in a way that he never was before.

She wanted to clobber him, and she damn well would have if he wasn't already flat on his back, his hair a rumpled mess, so handsome and sated that she hated to ruin the mood with her brewing temper. She didn't want to fight; she just wanted to rest in this comfortable bed with him and never get up. She made herself comfortable over his chest again, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I get it now. I finally get it. I'm an idiot. A big idiot." He whispered, laying a kiss to the top of her head, his hand brushing over the frizzy strands that outlines her hairline.

"King Idiot." She huffed.

He chuckled. "I deserve that."

"I should have just said it when I had the chance." She said.

"Said what?" He asked.

"Before you left to detonate the bomb, I was gonna tell you that I love you, but then you were gone, and it was too late." She admitted.

"Oh." He sighed, unsure of how to respond to her admission. The only response he could think of was to hold her some more.

"We were so screwed up." She said with a slight giggle.

"Tell me about it." He sulked.

He held her for a moment more, and felt her body relax, the tension flowing out of her the longer he held her.

"Does what you said last night about forgiveness not apply anymore? Do I need to go back to square one and work my way out of another dog house?" He asked.

She rose again to meet his eyes. He looked at her with the adorable glower of a furry, brown-eyed puppy dog, his brows knitted together, his eyes pleading. He just told her that he blew a hydrogen bomb just to start over with her, to make things right with her, for her. She'd never known a man who cared about being with her as much as he did. The lengths he went to were both flattering and infuriating, but she decided to be completely flattered over the urge to slap him for not telling her this sooner, because being angry with his man never lasted very long anyway, it only made for angst that she didn't want anymore. She just wanted to fold herself into him and never wake to a reality where she couldn't do just that. The forlorn look he was giving her at the moment made her resolve crack into tiny shards of love.

"Oh, you're good." She said with a tepid smile. How was she supposed to resist those eyes?

"What else am I good at?" He said, his mood improving at the sight of her easy grin.

"I think you already know the answer to that one, stud." She said before laughter burst through her lips, his tickling fingers moved over the skin of her lower back and abdomen.

Only then did he notice the slight bump at the base of her torso, and the wider spread of her pelvis. Her hips felt as though they were expanding slightly, preparing to cradle life, life that couldn't possibly exist…_here_ …_now_. What he was suddenly thinking couldn't be probable, so he dismissed it, and then came back to the unfeasible possibility, attempting to rationalize it out of existence. She could be gaining weight, but they didn't eat much more than they did when they first crashed on the Island, when she was about one-hundred or so pounds soaking wet. Her clothes still fit, and she wasn't experiencing any other signs of what he had in mind.

She collapsed into him, breathlessly crushing her mouth over his, distracting his jumbled thoughts. His mouth stayed fused to hers as he turned them over, so that she lay on her back, completely recharged and ready to take him on one more time before a well-deserved nap was in order.

* * *

_**Coming up: A new era of "Nobody Does It Alone" is about to begin. A slew of Losties will definitely make their debut in this fic sooner rather than later. Your patience has been so crucial, very appreciated and I say thank you! **_


	10. Chapter 10

Jack's eyes squinted against the sunlight that peeked in from the curtains of the far window. His arm was slung around Kate's bare waist underneath the comforter that he eventually had to get up from bed to retrieve and cover over them when the night's cool air settled in. He peered over her shoulder sneakily and saw that her eyes were still closed, her long eyelashes fanning over the arch of her cheek bones. He lightly swept a curly strand away from her cheek.

Her eyes began to flutter open at the subtle feel of his fingertips. He took note of how adorable she looked when the first rays of consciousness cast upon her face. There was such a naive innocence about her in those moments, unassuming, vulnerable, and riotously trusting. Her mouth opened wide as she yawned, her body straining into a linear position as she stretched. She already knew that he was awake; she could feel the pattern of his breathing change as his chest rose and fell with less depth against her back. She found herself giddy with the fact that she would soon turn to see his beautiful face and those eyes, soft from sleep.

"Morning." Jack said.

She smiled at the sound of his voice and adjusted herself until they were face to face, the tip of her nose grazing lightly against his. She closed her eyes again and her voice illustrated that she was in no rush to wake up fully.

"Morning." Kate said.

This was their third morning in the barracks, and they enjoyed all of the amenities that the space provided, but they never seemed anxious to leave the bed. It reminded them both of the domestic comfort they were able to enjoy when they were together off of the Island. The seclusion of walls and doors kept them protected from the prying eyes of jungle dwellers like their old friend Sawyer.

"Are you hungry?" She asked, her fingertips brushing along the scruff on his chiseled jaw.

"I could eat, but you're so damn soft and warm and sexy, food is really the last thing on my mind right now." He said, bringing her body closer to his under the comforter.

He kissed her long and hard, with both urgency and tenderness wrapped fiercely together. He was content to just hold her in his arms as she relaxed herself into the soothing inferno that his body heat created. He found the slight bump under her bellybutton again, and cradled it protectively in his palm, teasing it with his fingertips. It brought a smile to his face, cautiously happy about a child that he couldn't wait to meet, but another part of him was overwhelmingly timid and scared. He still couldn't wrap his mind around it, and he could only imagine what the news would do to Kate, who still didn't know what was going on with her own body, or she was playing a cool poker face, because she gave no hint to knowing anything at all. He wondered if she noticed the signs. She woke up, rushing to the bathroom the past two mornings in a row, when she didn't think that she'd woken him up. She looked relatively fine this morning, but the day was still young.

She showered while he stood at the sink with a towel wrapped low around his waist. She still wanted to do away with the scruff, he thought with a laugh as he noticed the can of shaving cream and fresh razor at the sink's edge. After the shower that he eventually joined, she stood at the stove in his T-shirt and nothing else. The helm came down to her mid-thigh and the sleeves almost reached her elbows. It was more like an over-sized dress on her than anything else, and it smelled just like him, which she loved. Her curls were a frizzled mess as they finally began to dry.

He came up behind her, wearing nothing but boxers and a smile. He wrapped his arms around her waist and laid countless kisses along the line of her neck.

"Smells great." He said in-between kisses.

"Me or the omelet?" She asked with a giggle.

"Both." He mumbled. His hands travelled underneath his T-shirt that she wore, his palms coming to rest over her bare breasts.

She shrugged his hands away playfully. "Oh no, stud. It's time to eat your breakfast. I heard your stomach growling."

He kissed her neck countless times more. "That wasn't my stomach."

She giggled. "After last night and that shower we just took, you want more?"

"And you don't?" He asked, a twinge of hurt evident in his voice.

She twirled around to meet eyes already hazy with thoughts of lifting her on the counter and having his way with her. "Of course I do, but after you eat your breakfast."

She carefully placed the omelet on a plate and sat it on the table, urging him to sit and eat. He eventually relented, and took a forkful into his mouth. She drank her orange juice and used her own fork to take a few bites herself. She kissed him before walking the length of the hallway to their bedroom. As soon as she disappeared, someone knocked on the door. Jack turned the doorknob, greeted with his least favorite Southerner.

"We gotta stop meetin' like this Doc." Sawyer groaned.

He was confused at first, but then realized that he'd answered the door in his boxers.

"What do you want, Sawyer?" Jack asked, trying his best not to sound annoyed.

"You gonna invite me in or did I need to RSVP?" Sawyer sneered.

Jack swung his arm towards the inside. "Come on in."

Sawyer looked around. "I just wanted to see how y'all were settling in and if you needed anything."

Jack smiled. "Tell Juliet that we're fine."

"What makes you think that I'm here for Juliet?" Sawyer asked.

"Because the role of host really isn't your style, James." Jack said with a laugh.

He huffed. "You got that right."

Kate suddenly appeared, her curls tied into a messy ponytail, dressed in a fresh t-shirt and pair of jeans. She handed Jack the shirt that she wore before changing into her own, and he easily whipped it over his head.

"Hey James, what are you doing here?" Kate asked.

"Damn Freckles, can't a man come by and check up on his friends just because?" Sawyer asked, becoming irritated.

Kate shrugged. "I guess he can, but I'm sure Juliet wants to know. The hosting gig really isn't your style."

Jack let go of a heavy laugh, shaking his head.

Sawyer relented. "Fine. Blondie sent me over here because she wanted me to play nice. You happy now?"

"Actually, I need to talk to Juliet for a second." Jack said.

He moved towards their bedroom, pulled on a pair of jeans and boots. He kissed Kate hurriedly before he dashed for the door, closing it behind him.

"Geesh, I wonder what he needs to talk to Blondie about."

Kate just stood there without responding, staring at him with her arms folded over her chest, a pose he knew meant that he was in some kind of trouble. How severe that trouble was, he couldn't quite tell.

"What?" He asked.

"You knew what Jack was doing with that bomb all that time, and you didn't say anything." She finally said after a tense pause.

"What?" He exclaimed.

"You heard me. You knew that Jack blew that bomb for a second shot with me, when he didn't need one and you never told me that. You said nothing for years."

"Now wait a minute, Freckles, I tried to get him to talk, but he wouldn't. He said, '_If it's meant to be, it's meant to be_'. He was on that faith kick, and he left it up to that. A closed mouth don't get fed. I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but even I know that. You know how Jack is when he gets an idea in his head. He was determined to blow that nuke whether or not I told you the reason why."

She shook her head in disagreement. "Not if I could have convinced him not to."

"We talked, James, almost everyday. Why didn't you tell me?" She asked.

"Because it wasn't my secret to tell. Had you known that Jack wanted to blow a hole into the South Pacific for you, you would have swam to get back to the Island if you had to, where there wasn't a Jack to find. If anything, it would have made your grief worse. I wanted to tell you, but every time the words came to the tip of my tongue, they just wouldn't come out. I was just tryin' to protect you, Freckles."

She guessed that she could see how torn James was with what the news could have done to her already fragile state once she was off the Island. She walked over to him and pulled him into a fierce hug.

"Watching me and Jack mope about each other has kinda been your life's work, huh?" She joked.

He laughed as he continued to hold her. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

She pulled out of the hug, wiping at her eyes. "No, I'm sorry for making this your fault. Jack should have told me, and we talked about that. He knows that he was wrong for keeping it from me, and I know that I should have spoken up and just told him I loved him before he left to the site. Our timing and communication skills needed serious work."

Sawyer shrugged. "I think that you and Jack got each other well enough, too well sometimes, to the point that it was frustrating when you denied your true natures. Heck, you were the only one who really knew Jack and had some inking as to why he made the decisions he made. If any of us needed to get through to Jack about anything, all we had to do was find you, his right hand."

Kate smiled. She did find herself in situations where she was the conduit between Jack and the group. He usually kept to himself, unless he was making his daily rounds, asking people if they needed water or help with anything. She was the one who was out and about, mingling with others. Whenever they did collide with one another, amid some group crisis or even to spend time together, it was like they shared a language, an understanding that they themselves didn't wholly understand.

"I just think that you two were too afraid to be vulnerable, especially after you came back. Something was different, and then he told me that he had you and lost you. After that, what he was doing made some sense, not a lot, but some."

"He didn't lose anything, James, but I guess I can understand why he didn't feel like he had. That's Jack for you. He was never one to go easy on himself. He took our breakup harder than I did. A part of me still wishes that he'd told me though." She said.

He cocked his head, debating whether or not he should bring it up, but his curiosity got the best of him. "Did _you_ tell _him_ about the baby?"

The question came out of nowhere, and it took her a moment to respond. "No, but that's completely different."

That was the only aspect of her life after the Island that she didn't see pertinent to tell him. All he had to know, all that he was comforted by knowing was that she led a happy, full, long life. Why would she taint that image by telling about the baby that she still missed, that she never stopped missing?

He had to hear this one. "How is it any different?"

"Because I knew that Jack was dead and that he couldn't be a father. What would that information do for him now? He'll just find some way to twist it around to make it his fault. He's in a very good place right now. I don't want to disturb that." She argued.

Sawyer shook his head. "It doesn't matter. He should know that you were pregnant when you got off the Island."

"Yes, it does matter. Telling him won't change anything." She said, tears welling in her eyes.

"That was Jack's line of thinking about you and the bomb, but he blew that bastard anyways, and actually telling you why he was doing it would have changed the entire thread of your relationship with him after that point. So, why would telling him about the baby be any different?" He asked.

"Because it just would." She stressed. "You can't tell him, okay?"

"Wait, you just grilled me over hot coals for keepin' Jack's secret from a million years ago, and now you askin' me to keep yours?" Sawyer asked with a scolding chuckle.

She shrugged. "Okay, I'm walking a slippery slope, I know this, but I have my valid reasons for doing so."

"You know me, Freckles. I ain't gonna rat you out, and I see your point, what Jack don't know won't hurt him, but you and I know, Jack has some eerie radar when it comes to you, and you got the same thing for him. He's gonna put the pieces together sooner or later."

Jack stepped through the door of the white picket fence that led to Sawyer and Juliet's backyard. After he knocked on the front door a dozen or so times with no answer, he decided to venture around the house. Sure enough, he turned the corner and found Juliet kneeling in a bed of darkened soil, dark-green gardening gloves covered her hands, and a wide-brimmed sun hat sat on her head. She looked deep in thought, as if trying to map a plan for the petunias that sat nearby in their own pots.

"You should scatter them, makes it look more authentic." Jack piped up.

Juliet closed her eyes and brought her hand to her chest. "God Jack, you scared me."

"Sorry." He apologized.

"Since when do you know so much about gardening?" She asked.

"I don't. I just thought that it would look better, less confined, more artistic." He commented.

"Good call." She started to massage the soil, breaking up any huge lumps. "So, what brings you over?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I talked to Kate about you, me and David, and she understands."

Juliet nodded. "Good. Now, would you mind explaining it to me?"

She giggled at the exasperated look on his face. He didn't think that he could possibly travel down that road ever again, not without drudging up the emotional battle that he still fought.

"I take it that's not all you wanted to tell me."

He kneeled into the grass beside the garden bed, so that he could keep his voice low. "I need your opinion about something."

She continued to tend to the soil. "Okay. Shoot."

He thought about it a second more, unsure if he should be talking about this with Juliet, but she was a friend, a pretty good one, who just like he, was very good, almost too good at keeping secrets. "Kate's pregnant."

A smile came to Juliet's face. "Jack, that's wonderful. How far along she is?"

She didn't question if he was sure. She didn't tell him that he was out of his mind. Her reaction was full with congratulatory happiness. He was a little shocked that she seemed so easy about the news, especially considering where they were, what they were now.

"About four to eight weeks, but I'm not one-hundred percent sure about that. Stages of pregnancy really isn't my strong suit. It's impossible, because it's been about a week or so since we all got here." He moved a nervous hand through his soft, unkempt hair.

"Weirder things have happened here, Jack. You know that better than anyone. So, when did she tell you?" She asked.

His brow creased. "That's the thing. I don't think she knows."

"Well, how do you know?" She asked.

"I just…do. I feel it every time I touch her." He smiled impishly. "Then there are the tell-tale signs that a doctor can pick up on, that she doesn't think I notice. I don't even think she notices them."

"Is she sick? Does she seem uncomfortable at all?" She asked.

"No, not at all. She's great. She's glowing." He said admiringly with a smile that shown through his worried eyes. "And even if there was something wrong, I don't know that she would tell me. She's so damn stubborn, independent that way."

Juliet gave him a scolding, yet lighthearted smirk. "This is coming from a guy who told her that he was just fighting off a stomach bug when he knew full well that his appendix was about to burst."

His eyes narrowed in annoyance and defeat. "Touché."

"I'm just…having trouble figuring out how it can happen…_here_."That word, here, seemed so vague, arbitrary, but it was the only word that could encapsulate the Island that he died for, but still couldn't quite piece together. He came to Juliet because their minds worked in the same way a lot of the time, and he needed another person to confirm that his thinking process wasn't muddled or off-kilter.

"Remember Jack, Sun is pregnant too, and in a more progressed stage in her pregnancy. I checked her baby's progress before we left and she was doing well, and I'm sure she still is because there's not a mob at my door telling me otherwise. I don't think that Kate will have any problems either. If she does, you know that I'm here for you both." She assured.

"So, what should I do? Should I tell Kate what I'm thinking? Do you think she knows but she just doesn't want to tell me? Do you think that she doesn't want to keep it?" He asked.

He prayed that she wasn't trying to conceal the pregnancy from him, and he also prayed that she wanted the baby about as much as he was starting to. He actually felt a swell of pride and love bubble in his chest at the thought of a baby. _Their_ baby. He was prayerful beyond his belief that there was a God that was listening that she would match that swell of pride and love with one of her own.

Juliet looked him square in the eyes. "Jack, only you and Kate can answer these questions. Her body is going through a lot of changes and maybe she just hasn't caught up to them yet. Or maybe she's asking herself the same questions that you are and she's unsure of the answers. Maybe she's not sure what her body is telling her, but I doubt that Kate wouldn't want to have your baby. You will tell her when you think it's time for her to know, if she doesn't already."

He immediately thought back to his conversation with Jacob. He remembered that he said that the Island was different now, less menacing, there was nothing here to be afraid of anymore. He wasn't even sure if he fully understood the rules of this new life, this new opportunity they were given to get it right. Maybe there weren't any, but he had the nagging thought that he already knew what the rules, or lack thereof, were.

'_Anything is possible, Jack. Everything you thought you couldn't have, anything you were afraid to want, you can have it here, in this life._'

He truly believed the words, because he felt the truth settle in with Jacob's sincerity when he said them. The man could be wildly cryptic and a little deceptive, but he wasn't when he told him this, he could feel it. Maybe it was possible for them to have a child because at one point in time they would have given anything to be pregnant, to be excited about bringing a baby into the world. Maybe it was their chance to truly be parents, after their failed attempts. He remembered how distraught and angry Kate was each time she found out that she wasn't pregnant. She would sometimes put on a strong front like he didn't notice the depth of her pain, and other times, when they laid in bed together, their skin slick and flush from making love endlessly, she would cry herself to sleep in his arms. All he could do, all he ever did was kiss her tears away, tell her that it would be okay, that they would keep trying. All he did was love her through it and she did the same, catching onto his distress just as easily as he had noticed hers, and hugging him ever so tightly when tears suddenly shown in his eyes, whispering '_I love you_' at every turn. Those moments were some of the most intimate and considerate they had ever shared.

He was sometimes afraid to want to be a father. Aaron provided the perfect test-run at what it would be like to have this little person whom he was responsible for, who literally and emotionally looked up to him, who soaked up everything he said and did like an eager sponge, who couldn't wait to spend time with him. He knew in that moment that he could be a father, what he'd learned from his interactions with David and what Kate would continually tell him about his ability to be a great father were lessons and conversations that he would carry with him always. He now knew that he had the propensity to give a child his everything, and he had the foresight to no longer be afraid of inadequacies that never existed, that his father made him believe and that he manifested into mostly every aspect of his life. Kate and David gave him that.

He nodded, somewhat reassured with Juliet's position, but he couldn't see himself being completely comfortable until Kate told him what she thought about a baby. There wasn't really much of a choice; they were definitely going to be parents. In that moment, he decided to stop asking questions and just go with it, and be happy with whatever their future together entailed. Jack moved towards the vacant courtyard and turned towards the house he shared with Kate. He looked up and saw her standing on the porch. He was pretty sure that she had no idea how beautiful she was, how much of his breath she took with just once glance at her. The changes her body was undergoing were very subtle as he looked at her with an objective eye. She was still her normal, slender self to the untrained eye, but he knew what was going on, and he was strangely titillated by being the only one of them who knew that their existence as it was would soon change. He knew that she would be fine, that their child would be fine. Everything would finally be okay, just like he said so long ago.

She literally jumped off of the porch and walked towards the middle of the small courtyard where he still stood, hands in his pockets, waiting on her. She greeted him with a long kiss that took him no time to return and amplify with his hands cupping her face, taking control of her mouth with light kisses that turned heated at the drop of a hat.

"What did you need to talk to Juliet about?" She asked once she gained a breath.

"Uhh, I just wanted to tell her that we talked about what happened at lunch the other day and that you're fine." He said, deciding at that moment that he wouldn't tell her about the baby just yet.

"What were you and James talking about?" He asked.

"Nothing much, just making conversation until you came back." She lied.

He dipped his head until his lips collided with hers again. His hands came to rest on her hips and his arms banded around her slim waist as she tied her arms around his. She became slightly distracted, her eyes popping open, but she was determined to stay enthralled and concentrated on his lips, lips that always propelled her to block everything out, her consciousness centered on the tingling of her spine.

"Do you hear that?" She said between kisses.

He lifted his head, his eyes searching hers. "Hear what?"

She heard tires squealing from afar, fast approaching, like a missile zigzagging through the trees. The high-pitched whine of an engine pierced through the quiet space, immediately on the backdrop of the choked banging of a muffler. The squealing and knocking came closer and closer, until it was the only thing that could be heard.

"That." Kate said.

The blue and white tinted Dharma bus came crashing through the trees of the adjoining jungle, knocking through a corner of the white picket fence as wooden columns exploded into pieces on impact. The wheels screeched to a halt as the engine died, while the muffler puffed excess smoke into the air. Jack and Kate stood shell-shocked, unsure how to respond to what just happened before their eyes.

"Jack! Kate!" The driver bellowed as he jarred the door open and jumped from the car. The tiny bus lifted from the ground once he stepped fully from it. "You're here!"

His bulbous mass shook like gelatin as he walked, more like dashed, to the other side of the four-wheeled motor bus. The tight, lightly hued curls of his hair came down to his round, wide shoulders like they always had and his smile was as wide and bright as the blue sky above their heads.

"Hurley?" Jack asked.

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_**I know, I know. You're so sick of these cliffhangers. LOL! **_

_**Coming up: BIG LOSTIE REUNION! ;) **_


	11. Chapter 11

_**This chapter is dedicated to Yas and Aalieen. You two have been so inspirational and vocal, and that, to me, is the best gift a writer could ever receive. I love you both (yes, Aalieen, it happened so quickly, but completely) and thank you so much for your continued support of this story and others. You're the best ever. Also, a big thanks to lostindallas62 for continuing to read this story. Your reviews never go unnoticed or under-appreciated. **_

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"Dude, I've been looking all over for you guys!" Hurley exclaimed.

As round and good-natured as ever, Hurley hobbled over to the pair. His presence instantly brought joyful smiles to Jack and Kate's faces. He was always a sight to see, big, hearty and full of life. He brought his arms around Kate and literally brought her off of the ground with the enthusiasm of his hug, twirling with her in his arms. She yelped her surprise with a bright smile on her face, wrapping her short arms around his neck and shoulders. Hurley's laughter soon became her own. He did the same to Jack, whose large, tall frame didn't stop him from lifting him from the ground with little to no effort.

"It's good to see you too, Hurley." Jack laughed, steadying himself once Hurley dropped him to his feet.

"Damn, you forget how to drive, Hugo?" Sawyer barked as he stepped off of his front porch, staring at the wreckage that used to be a corner of the fence.

"Sorry dude, I got a little excited." Hurley apologized.

He looked over Sawyer's shoulder with a smile. "Hey Juliet."

"Hello Hugo. And don't worry about the fence. We're insured." Juliet said with a humorous smile.

"I guess, but I'll definitely take a finder's fee for these two." Sawyer gestured towards Jack and Kate.

Hurley nodded. "Consider it done, dude."

"Hurley, where have you been all this time?" Kate asked.

"The beach. Where we started. Everyone is there. Charlie, Claire, Aaron, Sun, Jin, Sayid, Shannon, Boone, Libby. Even Rose and Bernard visit every now and then. Locke stops by too. We've all been worried sick about the two of you."

Kate's eyes lit up at the run-down of her friends' names. Jack noticed the interested glint in her eyes, her growing anticipation propelled his own. He took it that they were going to make the trip back to the beach where it all started very soon. He too missed and wanted to see his old friends, and he especially wanted to talk and visit with Claire and Aaron.

"Worried?" Jack asked.

"I went to the beach after waking up alone in the jungle and people were already congregating there. So, since I lived the rest of my life here and well, protected the Island and all that, I thought I should be the one to go out and look for those who were missing. I'd come back to the beach every day after searching and give reports on who I found. Everyone would ask about you two, and I never had any news to offer."

"We were right under your nose, Hurley. The caves." Jack said.

Hurley looked deflated. "I never thought to look there."

"It's okay. We went out in search of everyone ourselves a week or so ago. We didn't think to go back to the beach." Kate said embarrassingly. She was so eager to trek and search, she never thought to search the beach first and foremost.

"Well, that explains why we kept missing each other." Hurley said.

"How is everyone on the beach?" Jack asked.

"They're great. They'd be a lot better if you two came with me for a visit."

The rickety Dharma bus shook and rattled as it veered through the jungle with Jack and Kate in the backseat, somewhat fearful that the muffler would explode with how loud it was. They had to strain to hear Hurley's crazy and fanatical tales of protecting the Island with Ben at his service. It all seemed like it came from someone's wild, unhinged, colorful imagination, but Hurley kept insisting that it all actually happened. They were sure that it all did, and that all Hurley had to do to win his competitors over was make friendly conversation over a campfire. If anything, Hurley could make a friend out of even his worst adversary, which was why he was the perfect person to protect the Island, he wouldn't risk its specialness by trying to save it. He was the easiest person to get along with, so much so that one could lose track of their malicious aims once Hurley got hold of them.

Hurley and Kate struck up a long conversation about those on the beach. "You guys should see Sun now. She's getting bigger and bigger every day. It's like that baby can't wait to meet all of us."

The entire conversation of pregnancy and babies brought Jack back to his quiet joy and excitement about becoming a father. He looked over at Kate, who was leaned over, her hair cascading over her hunched back, her arms folded over the front seat as she listened avidly to Hurley's news about the group. She laughed at some joke, and he couldn't help but sigh at the sight of her. He heard only one sentence of Hurley's tall tales, while the rest dissipated into background noise; he couldn't even concentrate long enough to hear about the group. It wasn't that he didn't care, he absolutely did, but her aura, she glowed with a vibrancy that was almost too much to stare at for too long. She felt him watching her and turned her head, catching the admiration and love seep through those mystifying auburn orbs of his. Her eyes grew tempted, passionate and unseeingly happy. She brought her hand to his, her small, stubby fingers fit like a glove between his.

Suddenly, the bus came to a complete stop with a loud thunk. Hurley instantly turned the key in the ignition, but the choke and gargle of the engine didn't sound promising. After several attempts to reignite the engine, smoke twirled from the open lines of the hood and the bus went completely dead.

"What was that?" Kate asked.

"Dude, she's never done that before." Hurley said.

"Pop the hood." Jack instructed as he opened the car door.

Jack took his time inspecting the issue under the hood once the cloud of smoke settled. He finally closed the hood, resolution written on his face. "The engine's busted. We're gonna have to walk the rest of the way."

"Hurley, when was the last time you had this thing serviced?" Kate asked from her position next to Jack.

"I don't really remember. I think it was back in 2023. I guess that was a long time ago." Hurley shrugged innocently.

Jack pulled his and Kate's backpacks from the backseat. "Well, if we start moving now, we can make camp once the sun sets and then start over again in the morning."

Jack and Kate started walking. Kate noticed that Hurley hadn't moved an inch from where he stood, staring longingly at the Dharma bus that made his travels across the Island for so many years much less strenuous and tiresome. He didn't look pleased with leaving it behind. She tugged on Jack's hand, signaling for him to turn. He turned and stopped, staring regrettably at Hurley, who seemed to have become irretrievably attached to the old, weather-beaten Volkswagen.

"Hurley, don't worry. We'll come back for…'her' when we can." Jack said, taking on Hurley's habit of referring to it as if it were a person.

Jack kept a close eye on Kate throughout the entire hike, pinpointing every ounce of his concentration on her. She walked easily, without much effort and determination, just lightly moving through the leaves. The weather was breezy and comfortable, so she wouldn't have to feel so drained like she had when they moved from the caves on the first day. He imagined that she was pregnant even then, her body doused in hormonal overdrives that left her exhausted, though she would never admit to it. Two hours ran by quickly, the sun setting in the westward skies, marking the first stretch of early evening. Jack stopped the group, deciding that it would be better for them to make camp now rather than push for another hour that he wasn't sure they had before nightfall darkened the jungle.

Kate sat down, slowly lowering the backpack straps from her achy shoulders. Jack handed her his water bottle and she took it gladly, gulping thirstily until she was satisfied. She turned to hand it back to him and was met head-on with a banana that he held up to her.

She met his eyes. "What's this?"

"The last time I checked it was a banana." He said all too seriously.

He waved the banana playfully. "You should eat. You haven't since breakfast, and even that was just a few bites. You've gotta be starving."

"Where did you get this?" She asked instead of playing into his hovering.

"The barracks." He whispered, like the information was top-secret.

"Oh really?" She asked with a laugh.

He kneeled onto the ground between her folded legs. "Wanna see my stash?"

She looked suspiciously into his bag and eyed a large variety of goods with shiny Dharma labels, and fruit, bananas, oranges and apples to be exact. She laughed. The image of Jack secretly stuffing his bag made for one sight that she was sad that she missed. She thought the fact that Sawyer had more stashes scattered around the jungle than common sense was funny, but to see that Jack was hoarding away, it tickled her in a different way, in a way that made him even more adorable than he already was, which she didn't think was possible. It was just like him to think ahead, but she doubted that they would starve on the beach or anywhere they went for that matter, so she truly wondered just why he was storing up fruit and granola bars.

"Sawyer just might come after you for stealing. He was a cop, you know." She warned sternly with a playful tone. She took note of how even slumped over on the ground, his long legs bent at the knees, he still met her eyes without strain.

He shook his head. "I doubt he'll miss this stuff, and to arrest me, he has to catch me first, and you and I both know that I'm much faster than he is. It's not even a competition."

She laughed again. "Saving up for a rainy day?"

"Nope, just making sure that you're well-nourished at all times. That's all." He said sweetly.

She smiled a thankful smile, the one that she always reserved just for him.

"What if I'm not hungry?" Kate asked with a challenging smirk.

He cocked his head to the side, the spark of stubbornness in his eyes matched hers. "Then I'll stop hovering. But if you are, and I know you are, you should eat this, and there's plenty more where that came from."

She finally took the banana from his hand, and then cupped her hand over his cheek as she moved her head to kiss him, to thank him for his thoughtfulness. The loving gesture took on a life of its own as he wrapped his arms around her when the kiss deepened, her mouth widening over his, and both of her hands cupping his face, keeping him trapped.

Hurley suddenly appeared and caught the affectionate moment with a smile. He cleared his throat. "Erm, sorry dudes."

Jack and Kate straightened, both using their eyes to promise the other that they would have to take a rain-check…for now.

"I found some firewood." Hurley announced.

"Thanks. Let me help you with that." Jack offered.

Kate took a blanket from her pack and Jack's and spread them over the ground before she settled over it, peeling at her banana.

Nightfall came sooner than Jack expected. He stared into the fire, the flames licking at the night sky. Kate was basically curled up in his lap, sleep coming easier for her than for him, and he presumed that it had more to do with the child that lay nestled safely, warmly in her womb than actual fatigue. He swiped his fingers lightly over her skin, which was warm and flush from the radiating blaze of the nearby fire. He laid a lingering kiss to her forehead, her blissful sigh in response left his heart soaring.

"Psst, Jack. You still awake?" Hurley whispered from the other side of the fire.

"Yeah, I'm still awake." Jack said.

Jack gingerly laid Kate over the blanket that covered the grass, and made sure she was close enough to the fire to stay warm as he tucked the blanket more surely around her, his backpack serving as her pillow. He reached Hurley and sat down on the ground next to him.

"It's really good to see you Jack. You look much better than the last time I saw you." Hurley said.

Jack laughed. "It's good to be seen Hurley."

There was a palpable silence that was soon filled by Hurley's voice. "I was so mad at you."

Jack looked over, somewhat taken aback. "You were?"

"Yeah. For telling me that you would come back, but you never did. You knew you were never going to."

"Hurley—" Jack started.

"I got abandonment issues dude, and you made 'em like…ten times worse." Hurley said.

"I'm really sorry. I knew that you wouldn't have let me go had you known that I wasn't coming back. I was running out of time and I needed you to be the new Jacob so that I could…"

"Die." Hurley uttered.

"So that I could save the Island." Jack sighed.

"Look, Hurley, I know that it's hard for you to understand, but the moment I realized that Desmond's plan didn't work, I knew that it had to be me, that I was the only one who could stop what was happening. The decision wasn't hard to make, but I never realized how hard it must have been for the people I left behind."

"Did Kate tell you that I went to see her after you died?" Hurley asked.

Jack nodded. "Yeah. She said that you told her about our last conversation. Thank you for going to her."

"I was still so mad at you, even then, but Kate, she defended what you had to do. She understood. She said that it took a long time to get there, but she understood."

Jack smiled while that familiar bubble of guilt for having to leave Kate behind so suddenly settled into his chest.

"For a long time, I didn't know what to do. Ben and I, we would just sit in the jungle, waiting for something to happen, and when it did, when someone wanted something from the Island, or when they wanted to destroy it for their own gain, I would always ask myself, '_What would Jack do?_' I tried my best to think like you, to act and react like you would have. It always worked." Hurley admitted.

"I don't know how good of an example I am, Hurley. I made a lot of mistakes, too many. Mistakes that I would never want you to make and have to suffer through." Jack said.

"That's just it, Jack. You never saw yourself as a great leader, but you were. You always were. You made some pretty hard choices that none of us would ever dare to make or even know how to make. You protected us, you looked after us, and you were so good at it. Taking care of people. I guess it's not rocket science trying to figure out why you became a doctor." Hurley said with a chuckle.

"I didn't do it alone. Nobody does. I got help along the way, especially from you. You did an incredible job, Hurley. And from the moment I gave you the job, I knew you would." Jack said.

Hurley felt the light that had long dimmed inside of him buzz with renewal. He hadn't felt anything like that since his last conversation with Jack.

'_I believe in you._'

He was always seen as someone who wouldn't know what to do with responsibility. Jack entrusted him with the preservation of all humanity. It was the biggest and most challenging role of his life, and the fact that Jack believed in him, meant the world, if not more, to him.

"Thanks Jack." Hurley said with a smile.

Jack woke up slowly, the incessant chirping of birds high in the trees signaled morning. He opened his eyes and saw the incandescent hues of sunrise stretch across the sky. Kate still slept soundly, curled up in a ball against him.

"Kate, baby, it's time to wake up." He whispered.

"Five more minutes." She mumbled.

He knew that tone all too well. He recalled plucking her out of bed on many lazy mornings when Aaron stayed the night at a nearby neighbor's for a sleepover with one of his preschool friends. She took 'sleep in' to heart. He couldn't blame her though. Aaron was like a lightening bolt when he wanted to be, from morning to the second his eyes closed with rest, that any sane parent would definitely take the opportunity to rest up while he was away.

He laid a kiss to her cheek as he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. She finally rose from her position next to him, her mop of curly tresses a disheveled, tangled mess, her eyelids drooping at half-mast. She was so adorable, rubbing at her puffy eyes with the back of her hand. He wanted to gobble her up and at the first opportunity that presented itself, he would.

"Morning." Good God how he loved the sound of her voice in the morning.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" He asked.

"Yeah, a little too well. I don't know why I'm so tired." She admitted through a yawn.

Oh how he wanted to tell her about the baby, how he anticipated her reaction. It wasn't the right time. He quieted his worry and opened his mouth to speak when Hurley came through the brush right next to their temporary campsite. "Great, you're awake."

Perfect save, Jack thought to himself as Kate continued to wake up. She looked longingly at a corner of Jack's chest, ready and willing to curl up next to him again and sleep for hours more, but she decided that she didn't want to slow down the trek back to the beach, where all of their friends waited for them.

Charlie stepped from the grass of the adjacent jungle onto the treeline which settled into the white sand of the beach he called home. He walked through the camp to Claire's tent and the adjoining nursery that they built for their precious son, Aaron. He saw that the tent was empty, and knew that he was busted.

"Where have you been all morning, mister?" Claire asked, creeping up behind him.

She looked down at Aaron, who was strapped snugly into the comfy sling that Charlie made for her so long ago, wide awake and staring avidly and admiringly at his mother, his small fists pumping in the air. He yawned softly and

"I…was…uhh…taking a walk through the jungle. It's lovely when the sun hits it from the east…" He rambled.

Claire didn't look convinced in the least. "You've always been a terrible liar, Charlie Pace."

Before Charlie could finally confess, Aaron began to squirm, a small whimper immediately turned into a full whine.

"Hey Turniphead. Hey there. You want your Daddy, yeah? Here I am." Charlie cooed as he reached for Aaron, taking him from his mother's tight, impenetrable hold.

"You're not off the hook you know." Claire warned as she slumped down on the mat in her tent.

Charlie began to twist the features of his face into the most comical of contortions that immediately improved Aaron's mood. The baby squirmed with delight and made sounds that were akin to laughter. Claire immediately softened, watching adoringly at Charlie and Aaron's obvious bond. She couldn't have asked for a better father for her son. She sat there, watching as the camp began to bustle with movement. Sun and Jin shared a precious moment before he moved towards the open tide, fish nets in hand, preparing to corner the days' first catch. Boone was making necessary changes to his tent by tightening the harness that secured the tarp that served as a roof for his shelter. Libby kneeled in the sand, diligently cutting mulberries into small pieces over a makeshift cutting board, anxiously awaiting Hurley's return.

Claire then began to think about Hurley, who would leave every day in hot pursuit of those who weren't on the beach. He found Sawyer and Juliet pretty early on when he stumbled upon the Dharma compound, but he never found Jack and Kate, the two people Claire wanted to see and talk to the most. Were they missing? Did they move on someplace else? Somewhere remote and intangible to any of them? She missed Kate, who knew how to put up with her better than anyone. And Jack, what could she possibly say about the big brother who always treated her like the little sister he never had without any idea that she was exactly that? She missed him too, the moments they got to spend together before moving on not nearly enough time for her to indulge in being a part of the family, his family, where she belonged. He only lived through pictures and stories for the rest of her life, and she yearned for the opportunity to truly know him beyond the sacrificial role that he played in getting her back to her son.

Charlie turned from his attention to Aaron and saw the familiar concentrated gleam of worry on Claire's face, her blue eyes having lost the fire and brimstone that they once possessed.

"They're okay, Claire. They have to be. If anyone can find them, it's Hurley."

Claire nodded and continued her watchful glare over the camp. Then she suddenly saw someone approaching from a faraway corner of the beach. The person moved like someone she'd encountered time and time again. Then she came into focus, her long dark curls caressing her face. Kate. Someone followed close behind her, tall, lean, masculine. Jack. Hurley soon turned the corner of trees, bringing up the rear.

"Oh My God!" Claire yelped. She rose, placing her hand above her eyes, using it as a visor to block out the early afternoon sun.

"What? What is it?" Charlie asked.

"Hurley found them! He did it!" Claire bellowed. She stood and ran towards them. Everyone on the beach turned to see Jack, Kate and Hurley approaching. They moved to greet them behind Claire's cheerful sprint into their direction. Kate and Claire soon collided and held each other deftly and strongly, like the life-long sisters they were. Jack watched the moment with silent tears in his eyes. He always admired Kate's fierce protection of his sister, and it showed in the way they held each other, in the way their faces lit up with joy at the sight of each other.

Claire's eyes met his and she broke from her hold of Kate. She watched him tentatively; his face screamed his shyness in her presence, although he towered over her as he grinned down at her. She didn't hesitate for another second and wrapped her arms around her brother, while he did the same, falling into the intensity of her embrace. She held him for as long as he would allow, which was a very long time, because he never broke his hold. Charlie soon joined the group's cheerful meet with Aaron in his arms. Kate gleefully rubbed her palm over Sun's obtruding belly and gave Jin a hug before she caught eye of Aaron, who seemed to sense her presence somehow, his eyes brightening at the sight of her face.

Jack and Kate were soon completely surrounded by their friends. They were home, back where it all began.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Before you read this chapter, a little insight. This Afterlife, to me, is for the Losties to have the opportunity to live out the experiences, roles and opportunities that were taken away from them in life, on the Island, in a way that made the show so incredibly moving and emotionally-addicting for me, and in a way that heals wounds and stretches the redemption that each character deserves. This is what Jack comes to realize at the end of this chapter. I hope that I've been doing a good job of this. Please let me know if I'm going off course. Enjoy.**_

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The group moved to stand around the tall, improvised counter of the communal kitchen. Everyone literally interrogated Jack and Kate, peppering them with another question before they had the chance to adequately answer the last one. Jack answered as best he could, while Kate offered the occasional embellishment, backing him up like she always had. Claire simply watched and listened quietly from a corner, not interested in being inquisitive, just grateful that Hurley had found them. At that thought, she turned to where he stood next to her and wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you for finding them." She whispered.

"It was really Sawyer, but I'll gladly take the credit." Hurley said with a chuckle as he held her.

Kate held Aaron in her arms, swaying with him and looking down at him lovingly while Charlie and Hurley looked on. The child's small lips curled up in a bright, toothless smile. Kate couldn't help but melt into the newborn's avid captivation of her face, his eyes bright and full. He was a baby, he was always happy, cheeky, and it brought something out of her, a spark, a quiver low in her belly that she never thought she'd feel again. The urge for true motherhood, for a baby of her own would never go away. It was impossible, she thought. She wasn't meant for it.

Every time she grew attached to the physical presence of a child or even the anticipated arrival of one, something terrible happened. Her role in the early years of Aaron's life was happenstance, a fortunate accident. The baby that once grew inside of her was a blessing that never saw the light of day. She often wondered why it happened to her. She gave a mother her child back, why couldn't she hold onto the dream that she would one day embrace a child that was hers in every way possible without it being treacherously ripped away?

She shook away her thoughts, turned, and surveyed the group. "Where's Sayid and Shannon?"

Hurley and Charlie looked at each other suggestively.

"They left for a mid-afternoon picnic…four days ago." Charlie admitted.

"Oh." Kate said through a laugh, recalling her many intimate moments with Jack as they lay nestled in the bright undergrowth of the jungle. It was such a romantic atmosphere when they allowed it to be.

"What about Sawyer and Juliet?" Charlie asked.

"They said that they would meet up with us later." Hurley recalled Sawyer saying that he grew tired of the hosting gig, and wanted to indulge in more alone-time with Juliet, whom was more than happy to agree with him.

Jack engaged his conversation with Boone, but soon noticed that Claire had silently retreated from the group. He politely excused himself and walked in her direction. He watched as she sat under the tarp-lining of her tent, busying herself with folding Aaron's nimble things, clothing that didn't need tending to. He noticed that she was just as shy and reserved as he was, and that she let her cool composure slip when she first saw them approach the camp, her happiness surprising her.

She looked up and saw him standing in front of her and smiled shyly at him, a complete turn-around from her open greeting from earlier. "Hey."

"Hey." He said. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

"No…erm…sure you can." She stammered, picking up the small pile of clothing.

Kate and Charlie watched the moment closely, and then busied themselves with mutual conversations with Sun and Jin.

"How are you?" He asked, unsure of how to start the conversation.

Claire tucked an unruly strand of hair behind her ear, a classic sign of timidity. "I'm good. You?"

"I can't complain." He admitted with a smile.

It should have been easier than this. They spent significant time together before moving on with everyone else, time that they needed, that they missed out on when they thought of each other of strangers then friends, time that Christian robbed them of from the moment Claire was born. They shouldn't feel this wall, they were family. But it was different now somehow.

"Thank you." She said quietly, so quietly that he began to think that he'd imagined her saying it.

"For what?" He asked.

"For encouraging Kate to get me on that plane. I don't know how you did it, she's so stubborn. She would have stayed with you had you let her." Claire admitted.

"Yeah, she would have, but you needed her more. I just told her that she needed to complete what she came here to accomplish. I was wounded, fatally, and I didn't want Kate to watch me die, anymore than I wanted you to stay on this Island another second."

"I'm sorry." He said.

She raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For leaving you behind. I should have fought harder to find you. I looked where and how I could, and I ended up short each and every time. Then, the Island just…disappeared, just like you suddenly had. All that was left of you was Aaron."

She felt the depth of his apology, and his sincerity absorbed the throbbing ebb of abandonment that plagued her when she woke up in the jungle alone, crying out for her friends, her father, for the man who convinced her that giving up her child was the only way to protect him.

"I thought that I was doing the right thing, that I was protecting my son. Our father told me so."

Now he was confused. "Wait, our father was here? He came to you?"

Claire nodded. "Yeah, he told me that I had to give up Aaron, that it was the only way to keep him safe. That's why you weren't able to find me. He told me he had a plan."

Jack shook his head emphatically, desperate to get this crucial message across. "Our father died, Claire. Long before you saw him in the jungle."

He could understand the bout of confusion that creased her brow, because it was same trick that he fell victim to so long ago, and so often. He thought he saw his father so many times he couldn't count the occurrences on one hand anymore.

"The Smoke Monster masqueraded as our father and tricked you into giving up Aaron. He told you that it was for his safety to make you believe that he was on your side, that you could trust him. It was a part of his plan to escape the Island."

"He was the Smoke Monster that entire time?" She asked. That was one detail that Kate left out when she would recount the last moments of her brother's life.

Jack nodded, surprised that Kate didn't divulge the story in full detail. She was probably trying to protect Claire's sanity. "It's a long story Claire. Hopefully, one day, I can explain it to you."

"He made me believe that my son was taken from me, not that I had given him away like he told me I had to. I tried to hurt Kate, even though she was only trying to help me." She confessed.

She turned and saw that his face took on this grave seriousness. "I know. You were confused, misguided. I shouldn't have left you behind again after Kate found you in Locke's camp. It was poor judgment. I was told that you were sick, and then Sawyer told me that you were so different from how you were before. I tried to rationalize away what I did, tell myself that you were lost beyond what I could bring you back from, but you were still my sister, and I should have tried harder to believe that you were still in there somewhere. I guess I kept making the same mistake, a mistake that I never learned from. I'm so sorry Claire."

She appreciated his apology, no matter how unnecessary it was. "You made it up to me, Jack, in spades. You saved my life, you gave me my son back, you and Kate. You both loved him and protected him all the years that I couldn't."

"What was he like? Our father." She asked drawing back to the topic of their complicated of a father without any sort of cleanly transition.

Sadly, she realized that she only had two impressions of her father. The uncaring, callous bastard who came halfway across the world some seventeen years after her birth to tell her that she should let her mother die and the calm, collected presence that held her son in the very palm of his hand, the flickering light of the campfire was all that revealed his face. She didn't know which one was the real Christian Shephard. Did she have the strength to know?

"Strong. Commanding. Complex." He said the words with a stitch of admiration. "One of the best surgeons to ever command a scalpel."

He knew that Claire's view of their father couldn't have been as complicated as his had become, because from what he knew about his father and his absent role in her life, she didn't have many memories to draw from.

"I guess that's why you became a doctor too. To be like him." She offered.

"You could say that." He laughed. There was no proper emulation of Christian Shephard.

"How did he die?" She asked.

"A heart attack. That's why I was in Sydney before we crashed; I went down there to bring his body back to the States." He said.

"What was he doing in Sydney?" A tide of hope swelled inside of her. Her eyes lit up with that hope, that he was there looking for her, to be the father that her mother never talked about.

Boy, she had a lot of questions, Jack immediately though, and with good reason.

He decided to be blunt, forthcoming. Claire deserved to know his strained, varied history with their father. "He killed a patient and her unborn child and tried to cover it up."

"I tried to save her, but it was too late, the damage was already done. I tried to convince him that he should turn himself in and face the consequences, that it would be easier that way, but he refused. Medicine was his life, and he was scared, terrified of losing it, of even risking it."

Claire listened with undivided attention, watching as the dreadful memory painted grief all over Jack's face.

"The patient's husband threatened to sue. He lied, and because I wanted his approval, his love, his acceptance, I signed a piece of paper that supported that lie, that basically said he wasn't responsible for the patient's death. I lied too. The blood was on my hands just as much as it was on his."

Jack uncurled his fingers, revealing his palms. He stared down at them, like he was momentarily thrust back into the stressful, heart-pounding moment when he tried to save his father's career and the patient that he'd killed.

"My conscience couldn't let him get away with what he'd done, so I told the truth. They revoked his medical license. So he left. To Sydney. He was already dead when I got there."

Claire never knew the depths of tension and anger that existed between Jack and their father. She thought that their relationship would have been less strenuous, by the simple logic of proximity. She lived halfway across the world with her mother and her relationship with Christian was basically non-existent, but Jack, his relationship with him was center and devastating. The emotional waters ran deeper than even she could ever have begun to understand.

"It wasn't your fault." Claire said so simply. How could she know so easily what took him years to understand?

"Kate told me that you met him once." Jack said. His one statement begged for her to elaborate.

"Yeah, erm, when I was seventeen. Me and my mom were in a fatal car accident, and she fell into a coma. I was distracting her from the road. I was such a brat."

"I just wanted her to wake up so that I could say I was sorry." A tear rolled down Claire's cheek and she instantly wiped it away. The moments she recalled of reuniting with her mother and Aaron were memories she wouldn't allow herself to take for granted. She got her mother and her son back. She understood just how rare that was.

"One day he showed up. He tried to convince me to let my mother go, to give up on her. So, I told him that I never wanted to know his name and I never wanted to see him again."

Then, Claire took Jack's hand, her palm landing against the upside of the large hand that cupped his knee. "You're not the only one who pushed him away, Jack. I did too, and I always felt so guilty for that. I guess we can let that grief go, because he helped us get here, he brought us all back together. That's one good memory of him that we can share."

She was right. He remembered their moments before moving on, how she sought him out and asked him about the music box that chimed the song that their father used to sing to the both of them before kissing them goodnight. He still had no idea why he'd wanted her to have it of any worldly possession that he could have given her, but he began to understand why. It was the connection between his two children and he knew that it would make that connection all the more prevalent and concrete.

'_No, we're not strangers. We're family._'

Her smile, the way her eyes brightened after she heard it, it made him feel like he had given her what their father denied her. Roots. She needed to be a part of something; she needed for her child to be a part of something.

"God, it's so weird. All that time we spent together on this beach, and we had no idea what we were to each other." She said, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Yeah." He sighed. "I don't remember how many times I worried about you and Aaron, how you could possibly give birth to him on this Island, how I could keep you both safe from the Others."

"Well, you did that and so much more. When I think about it, you were the first person I met after the crash."

Jack recalled the moment, watching as her tiny, scraped knees sifted through the sand, hunched over, gasping for breath, her extended abdomen seemingly intact, but distress could have signaled from within. He'd seen enough injured pregnant women in the ER around her size and shape to know that just because there were no external wounds, the baby was in the clear. She looked painfully troubled, like Aaron was telling her something from the womb and she took every ounce of energy to concentrate, to read what he was trying to communicate to her. She was in self-preservation mode, moving from the pungent fumes that radiated from the tethered, busted and smoky engine propellers that still spun erratically.

He ran to her. When she told him that she was only eight months, he released a quick breath, grateful that she didn't say that she could give birth that any minute. He wasn't ready for that. He wanted to ask her what had possessed her to travel on the longest flight in the world in her condition, but there wasn't time. He needed help, he needed someone to get her to a safer spot on the beach. From that moment forward, Jack felt a strange compulsion to protect her from harm, like he was meant to in some way. That compulsion was more connected to the blood that ran through his veins than he could ever have begun to imagine back then.

"I hear that Kate was a big help during your transition off the Island." He said.

"Kate was the only mother that Aaron ever knew. It took awhile for me not to be jealous about that. She's the best. She taught me so much, and eventually Aaron trusted me to be his mother because of her."

"She was the best mother. Aaron was always in good, capable hands." He said with a reminiscent smile.

"Yeah, she was, and it hurts to know what a good mother Kate was to my child. I wanted that so badly for her. Motherhood. When she lost the baby, she was so devastated."

Jack quickly shook his head and then turned, unsure if he heard what he just heard.

"Wha—" Was the only syllable that he could conjure as he choked on the rest of the word.

He had to concentrate on asking this, because he couldn't believe he was asking it. "Kate was pregnant after she left the Island?"

_No, she was pregnant while on the Island too_, Jack thought to himself. Claire read the shock in his face immediately, and brought her hand over her mouth, wishing the words back.

"Oh no. She didn't tell you." Claire shrieked, completely mortified with herself. She was always such a blabbermouth.

Jack's face was stuck in its crestfallen, confused, and genuinely concerned form. He immediately looked up and spotted Kate, watched as she stood with Aaron in her arms, talking up a storm with Sun, embracing her like the old, close friend she was. Sun's abdomen was noticeably stretched; her shirt barely reached all the way over her extended stomach. Kate's bump was becoming more prominent to his eye, especially when compared to the size of Sun's budding middle. Kate's pregnancy, even from the side-view, was still inconspicuous. He knew, memorized every contour of her body, every dip and curve, old and new, and the child growing inside of her, wasn't the first there ever was? There was another child, one that she'd lost, in the aftermath of losing him. His heart felt like solid lead at the moment, dropping to the pit of his stomach with a sickening thump.

"Jack, I—" Claire began to apologize, but words failed to lessen the tension that twisted Jack's features into a despair that left him speechless.

He recovered quickly, but the hurt in his eyes remained.

"No. It's okay. I'm sure she has a good reason for not telling me." He grinned, but Claire could tell that it was forced, that he was brewing, disappointed that there was still a part of Kate's life without him, of her pain, that she hadn't shared with him, that she decided to omit.

Before he had enough time to compose himself and before Claire could apologize over and over until she was blue in the face, Kate stood in front of them, with Aaron high in her arms.

"I think he wants his Uncle Jack." Kate grinned, lowering Aaron into Jack's unprepared arms.

The child squirmed uncomfortably until Jack got a good hold on him, seating him into the snug crevice that his folded arms created. Aaron opened his eyes and found Jack's immediately, and he instantly smiled, a giggle gurgled through his small body. Jack returned the gummy, adorable smile with one of his own. He watched this child grow to an age where he soaked up the world, everything it had to offer, his small, impressionable mind so eager and refreshing. Aaron reached out, his tiny fingers brushing against the stubble on his chin.

"Yep. It's me little guy, it's your Uncle Jack." He cooed. His heart lifted from the pit of his stomach slightly, restoring hope to his heart and peace to his mind, if only for that moment.

At the brink of sunset, everyone settled around the large bonfire that was perched midway between the shore and the campsite, sharing what was dinner as the night sky twinkled with unfurled stars.

Sun retreated into the tent she shared with Jin. Her jeans squeezed around her waist unnervingly, tighter than they had two days before. This baby is growing at an unprecedented rate, she thought to herself. She already felt ripples of the child's movements cascade over the surface of the sizable bulge of her stomach, and she smiled at the sensations. Jin came into the tent then, watching as his wife loosened the buckle of her jeans, letting go of a relieved moan once she did. He then saw that her hand sat over her stomach and the pleasant grin on her face.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he kneeled into the sand next to her.

She turned, smiled, placing a kiss to his lips. "I'm fine, and so is our daughter. It's just these jeans, they don't fit anymore. Nothing does."

"Well, I'll just have to make you something that does fit." Jin said stubbornly.

Sun laughed heartily. "Since when do you make maternity clothes?"

"Since my wife has had trouble fitting into everything she owns." He said seriously.

She simply laughed and kissed him again, urging him to curl up with her on the bed as she reached to blow out the single flame that illuminated their tent.

"I love you, Jin Kwon." Sun whispered, her exhaustion setting in.

Jin pushed her sleek, black hair behind her ear. "I love you, Sun Kwon. Goodnight."

Jack walked up the stretch of the beach and caught up to Kate, the large, dimming bonfire and small lantern next to her illuminated the tent's small space as she busied herself inside. He immediately recognized the tent that she chose to inhabit. It was his old tent, the tent that was strategically placed to see each and every other tent outside and around it. He remembered plenty of nights when he sat outside of the small opening, just thinking, watching, ready to pounce into action at any sign of distress or struggle.

"I take it you don't want to head back to the caves." He said, ducking his head in where she kneeled, tucking a blanket over the makeshift bed, making a home out of the small space.

"I think I want to stay close to everyone for a little while. Is that okay?" She asked.

"Whatever you want is fine, as long as I'm included in 'everyone'." He said.

She curled her index finger in his direction, signaling for him to come closer, speaking softly, sexily. "Come here."

He kneeled, crawling over to her. He leaned in, surrounded her and kissed her softly, and then deepened it, the sound of her moans setting him ablaze.

"I've wanted to do that all day long." He said, his voice taking on that low, guttural, sexy register that instantly turned her to putty.

"Mmm. I've thought about you doing that all day long." She said, urging him to lie down.

He moved onto the small cot, pulling her against him. He immediately remembered how uncomfortable he'd always been when he slept on it. His wandering nightmares about the danger that loomed over the threshold of the nefarious jungle kept sleep far from his reach. Kate settled next to him, laying her head over his upper chest. The night was still, quiet.

"Today was perfect, Jack." She sighed, rubbing her hand up and down his long torso.

"You know how much I love you, don't you?" He asked out of nowhere, holding her tightly in his arms.

Kate brought her head up to look at him. "Of course I do. Are you okay?"

"I just really love you." He needed her to know that, to stress it more emphatically than he ever had.

"I love you too, Jack. I always have and I always will."

He ached to apologize to her, for leaving her with so many broken pieces, pieces that would never fit without him. She lost their baby, and she was alone, without that emotional support of the one person who felt the love and passion when they created it. It all started to come together in his mind, to make sense in the way that he desired. How she could possibly be pregnant here, where they were, because she never got to be in life, because she never got to be a mother. This was the Island's gift to her, her second chance, just like Claire's second chance to be with Aaron for every precious moment of his growth, just like Sun and Jin's second chance to raise their daughter together, just like Sawyer's second chance to be with Juliet after their unexpected, tragic parting, and just like Locke's second chance to rediscover the Island in all its glory and know for certain that he was right from the start of it all. She was the Island's gift to him, that much he knew. It made sense that Jacob was there after he woke, and led him to her.

He was startled by his own intuition, how he somehow knew that Kate wouldn't be ready to know what was happening, that she currently laid against him with child, maybe even the same child that she lost so long ago. A part of him feared that she wouldn't understand, that she would stubbornly deny what was happening, but he would make her understand. He had to; it was the only way to avenge the guilt that choked him…again.

He closed his eyes; her familiar warmth next to him soothed the ache that burned his heart. He felt her chest succumb to even, controlled breaths. She was out. She was everything. To him. He let the tears come once sleep finally trapped his restless soul.


	13. Chapter 13

_**This chapter was written with so much care, as they all are. Enjoy.**_

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Jack opened his eyes slowly. He was shirtless, lying on his stomach on the small cot in the tent, wearing nothing but his boxers. He recalled the hazy memory of Kate holding him close as he silently wept in his sleep. She asked him if he was okay, and he just told her how much he loved her and urged her to go back to sleep. She still had no clue that he knew, that the tears were for her and their child. How could he possibly tell her that he knew? How could he ever begin to initiate that conversation? He wouldn't know until he let it out. He looked over at his side and realized that he was alone. Kate was gone. His head fell back onto the mat underneath him, but his curiosity about Kate and where she might be urged him to sit up.

He poked his head through the opening of the tent, squinting against the burning onslaught of sunlight, his eyes surveying the beach. He spotted Hurley and Charlie, entrenched in an intense debate about only God knows what. Claire sat in her tent, carefully untying the ends of Aaron's linen diaper, which judging from the displeased scowl on her face, wasn't empty and didn't smell too good. Jin stood at the shoreline, his pants rolled up, untangling the sensitive fish nets that were clogged with algae and debris. Jack dressed quickly, grabbed his backpack and left the tent. He approached Hurley and Charlie first thing.

"Morning Jack. You wanna get in on this bet? Hurley thinks that Batman is faster and stronger than Daredevil. What do you think?" Charlie asked.

Jack put his hands low on his hips, confused and completely uninterested. "Have you guys seen Kate?"

"Sorry dude, we haven't seen her." Hurley said.

"I actually saw her a little while ago." Libby spoke up, approaching them, pecking Hurley on the lips with her own, delighted by how his face flushed a bright red. "She headed into the jungle about an hour or so ago."

The jungle? What could possibly be out there that she desperately needed to get to? The caves, he thought, but she'd told him that she wanted to stay on the beach for awhile, so why would she go back there? His mind reeled with her possible motives. There he was, for the millionth time, trying to decipher the great puzzle that was Kate Austen. Maybe she wanted some time to herself; maybe she was out doing what she really shouldn't be in her fragile state, exerting herself with tasks that he could perform. Kate was that way, never one to settle for sitting still. She preferred to be useful. He saw that about her the moment she demanded joining him in search of the cockpit that first night on the beach. She had no idea who he was, and yet she knew what he was thinking, that he had to find that cockpit and decided that she would stick with him, help wherever and whenever she could. He hated that sometimes, because he would be more useful and focused with the knowledge that she was on the beach and out of harm's way.

"Thanks." Jack said. He was set. He would venture out into the jungle. For Kate.

Kate stretched her arm out as far as she possibly could without keeling over the large branch that she hugged tightly between her legs. She was perched high in a tree, higher than she ever attempted to climb before. The lower branches had been picked clean of the mangoes that hid under the leaves. She noticed before she left the beach for the garden that the camp was running low and opted to bring some back with her.

She thought about Jack, who rested quite turbulently the night before, like something laid unsettled on his mind. Maybe it was his conversation with Claire. They spoke for awhile and were riveted with what the other had to say at every moment. He seemed taken aback when she approached them with Aaron, and she hoped that she hadn't interrupted a crucial moment between the two of them.

Jack didn't know what direction he was going at this point. He utilized some of the tactics that he picked up on from watching Kate whenever she was in tracking mode. She was a controlled funnel of focus when she tracked; she used every one of her six senses to guide them through. He watched for obvious disturbances, like crushed blades of grass, broken twigs, folded leaves, and he thought he had a pattern going until he lost the path completely. So much of the area had been trampled through, almost by habit, like there was something nearby that the others constantly came to.

He tried to follow the various paths embedded in the grass that directed him into a familiar clearing that only became more familiar when he approached it. Sun's garden. The last time he saw this place, Sun was highly distressed and quiet, busying herself with clearing out the weeds and overgrowth, losing faith in ever finding Jin, who eluded her at every turn. She was devastated, but wouldn't tell anyone, she just retreated here, to her oasis in a small corner of the hell that she had decided to return to, for her husband. She looked peaceful now, almost relieved to see and feel the crumbly soil beneath her fingertips as she worked.

He lightly approached her, careful not to scare her. "Sun."

"Oh. Hi, Jack." Sun said, her smile beaming.

She was kneeled over in the fertile soil of her garden, creating small pockets that seeds were sure to be dropped into. He remembered how Kate led him here all those years ago, and how amazed he was at what Sun had created for the group. It was smart. Locke's boar had run dangerously low as it always had days after they crashed and resources grew famine. It was his greatest fear realized, that people would starve. Kate never knew this, but he often watched her as she tiredly dragged from the jungle after a long absence every day. She dropped the loaded bag right next to a popular water trough, full of mangoes, from her shoulder and walked away from it, silently hoping that it helped with the food shortage. He was the only one who noticed her, the rest of the camp enthralled in other dealings. She always did things like that, even when food was abundant, and she always did it quietly, but sincerely. It was one of the reasons why he loved her so much. Very often, Sun's garden provided just as well as Kate had.

He kneeled down beside her. "This looks great." His eyes gazed over the plot. One area had been designated for fruit, while another area was dedicated to vegetables and herbs. She added a bean stalk on another plot nearby, which also contained potato stalks, shooting from the dark soil.

"Thank you." Sun said. He spotted a tomato plant to her immediate right.

"I see we have more than one stubborn tomato this time around." Jack said.

She laughed. "I had some trouble getting that one patch to grow, but it's doing pretty well now, surprisingly."

"Looks like you're doing well, yourself. How are you and the little one?" He asked.

She straightened, laying a palm over her belly. "We're good. She moves around a lot. Sometimes it's hard to concentrate on much else."

He smiled, and immediately noted that she referred to her child as 'she'. After they were rescued, Kate heard of Ji-Yeon's birth through pictures of the beautiful little girl complemented by a letter. He knew that Sun was upset with him for making the hard decision of leaving Jin behind and he respected her anger, her blame and her silence. He kept his distance, but he remained happy and hopeful for her. It brought his mind back to Kate, who would soon experience the same progression of life inside of her. He just hoped that she was as happy about it.

He finally cut to the chase. "Have you seen Kate?"

"Yes, I have. She came out here a little after I did, told me that she wanted to help. She's been out looking for seeds all morning. I told her that it was fine, that we have more than enough, but she was determined to add to what we already have." She said.

Jack nodded. Why wasn't he surprised by that? "Can you remember which direction she went?"

Kate moved stealthily, almost wistfully through the leaves, her eyes skimming the blades of grass for any signs of overturned vegetation. Her eye caught a bulbous, round, dark purple sphere of fruit that she didn't recognize. She dug it further from the ground, took out her knife and carefully cut through it. Small blueish-red seeds revealed themselves at its core. She grabbed a hand towel from her pack, wet it with water from her bottle, and gently eased the fragile seeds into the crevice of the damp towel in her hand's small palm.

She stood and felt a fluttering murmur low in her abdomen, and it caused her to stop dead in her stride; her hand came to her stomach in an instant. The sensation was odd, out of place, but wildly vivid and dangerously familiar. She had to stop anyways and rest, because she hadn't all morning. The sun bore an unrelenting mist of dryness above her head, making her sweat profusely.

She sat down and pulled her water bottle out of her pack, taking deep and long swigs. She took time to marvel at her resting place, the Island. She never understood what drove Locke, and eventually Jack, to such maddening lengths for this place, but the longer she allowed herself to just sit, what a concept she could never grasp, and take in the ethereally beautiful plethora of bright, almost blinding, delicate hues of greens and yellows that melded into the most breathtaking arrangement of color she'd ever seen. After she felt like she'd rested enough, she stood and continues with her task.

He watched her move, how the elegant line of her back was straight, then poised to reach down for something at her feet.

"I can see you there, you know." She blurted out, laughter in her tone.

He sighed, then smiled as sudden tension and surprise melted from his shoulders. "I wasn't hiding. I just didn't want to distract you from doing…whatever it is you're doing."

He remembered saying exactly that a long time ago, after he was busted watching her from a spot very similar to the one he currently stood in. He thought the myriad of leaves would mask his presence, but nope, she caught onto him. He watched her soul-robbing beauty bathe in the stringent sunlight. Back then it was the closest she would ever allow him to get. He knew her big secret; she was even willing to tell him what happened. He knew that it was probably the most open she'd ever been with another person in a long time, because of how timid she was, her forthright, strong presence melted once he knew the darkest detail of her life. Then there was the toy plane, what lengths she went through to get to it, and how he had to make up for being so intrusive. She was such an unorthodox individual, and in that moment in the jungle, he decided to just watch, for as long as he could.

"Looked like you were hiding to me." She said as he approached her.

He didn't take much time cupping her face in his hands, planting his lips over hers, widening them for her response. She wrapped one arm around his neck, anchoring herself against him as she opened her mouth over his. She missed the closeness of him, and they were only separated for a few hours at the most. She often wondered how she lasted a lifetime without this man, this kiss, this feeling.

"I woke up alone this morning. You know how much I hate that." He said once he pulled them apart.

She finally opened her eyes, a guilty grin on her lips. "Sorry stud. I wanted to get a fresh start on helping Sun with the garden and you needed to sleep, you didn't get much of that last night. But I promise to make it up to you." She still wondered what kept him restless through the night, because she wasn't too sure that it was about Claire anymore.

Jack cocked his head. "I ran into Sun and she said that she didn't need any help."

Kate's face blustered with a deep blush across her cheeks. "Okay, so she didn't ask for my help exactly, but I gotta keep busy somehow."

He peeked into the damp towel that she still held in her hand. "Hmm, little blueish-red thingies."

She showed no signs of slowing down. If she was insistent on doing this, then he would join her. That way, he could keep tabs on her. He knew that they were fine, that nothing bad was going to happen to any of them, not anymore. He was grounded in that aura of peace that the Island provided now. But he wouldn't let Kate roam around the jungle by herself. He laughed at himself. He was already hovering and she was barely showing. They moved through the infinite labyrinth of the jungle in comfortable silence.

"We should take a break, yeah?" Jack suggested, and not a moment too soon. Kate collapsed into a seated position behind him, clutching at her stomach.

"There it is again." She mumbled to herself.

Jack turned and immediately went to his knees in front of her, pulled her shirt up and covered her entire stomach with his large hand. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the sensations. "That's the second time that's happened today." The baby, he immediately realized. It was growing, moving around inside of her as her womb adjusted to the growth.

"What? What does it feel like?" He asked.

"Slight flutters, sudden jolts. Uh, it's hard to describe." She said, her eyes still closed.

He smiled. He actually smiled as his hand continued to assess her stomach. She read his face, his grin spread wider. "You know what's wrong with me, don't you?"

He looked like the cat that ate the canary. He swallowed hard. "You're pregnant, Kate."

That was the last thing she expected to hear. "I'm what?"

She noticed the serious glint of his eyes, the pride swelling his chest. She couldn't be. It wasn't possible; it was the farthest concept from possible that she could think of. She wasn't pregnant. The doctors told her that it would be close to impossible for her to conceive after losing the baby the way she had. She shot up, her spine straightened in rebelliousness. "That's impossible."

He moved a hand through his hair, preparing himself for the drag-out battle that would leave them exhausted. She still had her ways about her. There would always be something about this woman to figure out, to piece together. He finally rose, turning to her. "Why is that?"

"It just is. I can't be. I'm not, I—" She stammered, her back turned to him, sure that Jack would see right through her, like he always did. He heard the distress in her voice.

"Could it be because you lost our baby after you left the Island?" He asked calmly.

She spun around. "What?" He knew that she heard him loud and clear. There was no confusion; she didn't hear him wrong. "How do you know about that?"

"Claire." Kate never thought about Claire. She was too busy worrying about Sawyer blabbing away. "She assumed that you'd already told me."

His tone came out more accusatory and disappointed than he wanted it to. He noted the furrow of her brow, her head fell in defeat. God, how he didn't want to push her, to bombard her. He knew what Kate was like when she was pushed, when she felt like she was backed into a corner. She gave all she had to fight her way out, and God, he didn't want to fight. He just wanted to understand, to hold her, and to assure her that the child she was carrying was _real_, was _possible_.

"I can't do this." She mumbled, moving to evade his scrutinizing gaze, tears already pooling behind her eyes.

He grabbed her wrist before she could escape from the small clearing that was almost too small for the tension that rose between them. It was as if the space could give them room to talk, but he steadily felt like they were closed in. She stopped at the feel of his long fingers curved around her tiny wrist. It wasn't demanding, she didn't feel the need to snatch her arm away. She was both elated and devastated that there was nowhere to hide.

"Kate." His tone was level, calm, but she could hear the rumblings of defiance. He wasn't going to let her hide and the fact that he knew that she kept it from him, would only make things worse. She looked into his eyes and saw what she always saw. He felt it. Her pain, her shame, her devastation at losing a child that neither of them would ever get the chance to meet, to raise, to give to the world. It was all in one look, communicated in one moment. It was fascinating to her how they always tended to misunderstand each other with words, but when they just stopped and their eyes met, their world, what they created between the two of them, made perfect sense.

She slumped over, exhaustion and the ragging emotions inside of her finally got the best of her and the tears came. Her voice cracked under the guilt. "I'm sorry." He instantly wrapped his arms around her and simply held her as she heaved against him. "Shhh. It's okay."

"I'm so sorry, Jack." She pleaded through her tears as he kept her upright, pulling her into the circle of his arms. "I wanted to tell you that first day in the caves, but I just didn't know how."

He sat down and gathered her into his lap, his arms still wrapped tightly around her as she continued to break down. "Because you didn't trust me."

She moved back to look him in the eyes. "I trust you completely Jack. You know that."

He shook his head. "Not with this. Not with what you went through. If you had, you would have told me."

"Trust isn't the issue Jack, it never was. I just didn't want you to—" She began.

His hands moved soothingly over her back, his head cocked. "Know the whole truth?"

She sighed as she cupped her hands over his shoulders, her thumb grazing over the mulish stubble of his jaw. "I was trying to protect you from it. You were finally in a good place. We talked about everything. The mistakes we made, you leaving, you staying here on the Island. You were finally letting go of the life I lived without you and so was I."

"I don't think you were, not entirely, not if you were holding this inside of you all this time. You worried more about my reaction than your own feelings, Kate, and we've made that mistake too many times not to have learned our lesson by now."

"I know, I know." She mumbled as he wiped a lone tear from the high curve of her cheek. "I just couldn't bring myself to tell you. It hurt too much to even think about it, let alone put it into words."

He wrapped her up in another tight hug. "You couldn't tell me then, but can you tell me now?"

He coaxed. He soothed. He eased. She was completely embattled, conquered. He was breaking down the wall that she built around the topic of their child, brick by glorious brick. He looked so troubled at the mere strength it took to ask her to dredge up what obviously hurt so her badly. He just wanted to share the pain with her, and why wouldn't he? It was his child that she lost, and he was still Jack, he still carried that indissoluble urge to know. It was who he was.

"A month after we got back, I was standing at the kitchen sink, washing dishes and I collapsed. Aaron found me. He was so traumatized. He thought I was dead. Everything is a blur after that. I woke up in the hospital. I looked over and Margo was sitting next to my bed. She looked worried. The doctor came in and told me that I was pregnant. Your mother was so happy. She couldn't stop smiling and hugging me. I was in shock. I couldn't believe it. I guess that night before we came back to the Island did the trick." She laughed a little at the memory of Jack's bed, how the sheets came untucked beneath their frenzied coupling.

"A month or so later, I woke up one morning to the worst cramps of my life. There was blood on the sheets beneath me, and in that moment, I knew that something was wrong, very wrong. I couldn't move, I felt sick, I was slick with sweat. It was like all of the energy had been drained from my body, and all I could do was scream '_Help! Help me!_' Claire had gotten home from class early and heard me yelling. By the time she got to me, I had completely lost consciousness. I woke up in the hospital again. It was like a dream, like I was reliving the exact moment I found out that he existed, that I was gonna be a mother. It turned into a nightmare when the doctor told me that the baby had died." She erupted into another fit of tears.

"God, Kate." He silently groaned as his chest tightened with an agony so vengeful, he couldn't breathe. "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. I can't imagine how painful that must have been for you." She heard the tears in his voice, and then she felt one as it landed through the fabric of the t-shirt that covered her shoulder.

They sat for what felt like hours. No words were spoken. They communicated with how they held each other, the depth of their breathing as their conjoined chests rose and fell in leveled strokes. She broke the silence with her voice, which strained against her tears. "How does that happen? How did I just lose our baby?"

"Sometimes there is no explanation. You were under a lot of stress. You were helping Claire establish a relationship with Aaron. You were there for my mother, my grandfather. You were trying to move on, to figure out how to live without—" He cut himself short. _You were trying to figure out how to live without me, _he thought to himself_._ He wouldn't make this about him; this was all about her and the burden she had to carry.

"You fell in love with the baby, didn't you?"

She swiped at the tears that ran down her face. "How could I not? He was the only thing that kept me going. I had a reason to get up in the morning. A reason outside of my obligations to Claire and Aaron, a reason that kept me connected to you. It's terrible to put such pressure on a child before it's even born, but he was my only lifeline to you." She pressed her cheek further into the comfortable bulge of his shoulder. "Losing him was like losing you all over again."

He held her closer, if that were possible. "Him?"

She raised her head again to meet his eyes. "It was a boy. I kept a picture of the ultrasound by my bedside, next to that picture of you and Aaron at the park. The baby that I was able to raise with you wasn't even ours, and once I do get pregnant, with our child, you're gone and then I lose him too. How tragic and unfair is that?"

He had no response. He just held her. "That's why you couldn't sleep last night, huh?"

He shrugged. "I guess I had to get it all out before I confronted you about it. I needed to be strong for you." It was all he could offer her. Strength. Understanding. Love. He couldn't imagine how this conversation would have gone had they both lost it to their tears.

"You don't have to be so strong all the time, Jack." She said.

He gave her a short nod. "Yes I do."

"I often wondered, dreamed about what he would be like. What he would look like. Would he have your smile? My eyes? Your personality? My freckles? All those questions kept popping up in my head. I would never have an answer for any of them."

"You can have those answers. It's possible. Anything is possible for us here, Kate. Absolutely anything. That much I understood from Jacob when I realized where we were."

"You saw Jacob?" Kate asked.

"After I woke up in the bamboo grove. I went into the jungle looking for you and he was there. He told me in his own cryptic way what this is," he gestured around them, "what we can experience here. It clicked when I thought about you, what you'd lost, what we both lost and how it could be possible to have it again. This baby," He placed his hand over her lower abdomen, "is a part of that second chance we talked about at the waterfall. I know it. I believe it."

She shook her head and then looked down at his large hand cupped over her stomach. She brought her hand over his. "Why do you believe it so much? How is it that losing our child is reversible?"

"Because you told me so, when we were on our way to the heart of the Island. I couldn't hear you back then, I didn't know what you were trying to tell me, but I know now that we can have it all, because we worked for it, we sacrificed for it."

He pushed a curtain of curls behind her ear. " '_Nothing is irreversible.' _"

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Her features immediately softened, and she smiled, her grin brimming with happiness, with an edge of diffidence. How could she argue with her own argument? With her own belief in what they could have had? In what she believed was possible? At the time, she wasn't talking about anything beyond stopping Jack from going through with the sorted ideas in his head about the Island and convincing him to come with her. He had stood up and decided to dedicate everything he was to a cause that he _had _to believe in, because he didn't think that there was anything else. The fact that he remembered what she'd said to him, and the way that he said it to her now. He understood. She understood. He believed in her, in their baby, in this life, in every missed opportunity their story ever encountered and the redemptive nature of how and why they were brought back together. All of the fear that she held tightly against the thought of a baby evaporated with those three words coming from the only man she'd ever allowed herself to love completely, to trust eternally. Everything was going to be okay, and because of him, she knew it.

She brought her arms around him and tears of joy finally came. "We're really having a _baby_?" For the first time, he could tell how happy she was, how excited she was about it. He nodded as he whispered '_Yes_' about a million times into her ear, his smile brim and wide at how the sparkle in her eyes and verve in her voice had been revived.

She backed out of the hug to meet his eyes. "How long have you known about this?"

"For awhile. I think deep down I always knew, and so did you, but you were too scared to realize it. I felt the physical changes back at the barracks, and the other signs early on, the fatigue, the nausea."

"Well, were you ever gonna tell me?" She pretended to be angry.

"I was just waiting for the right time." He assured her.

She cast a genuine smile in his direction as her hand cascaded protectively and affectionately over her stomach.

"I almost forgot. I got you something." He said.

"What? More granola bars? She laughed.

He unzipped the front pocket of his backpack and pulled out a small black pouch. "Uh, uh. No peeking. Close your eyes."

She reluctantly did as she was told. "You know I hate surprises, right?"

"Open your hand." She did so. He poured the contents of the bag into her hands, and looked up at her, marveling at the way her features look so quiet, innocent. "Open your eyes."

"Guava seeds!" She yelped in delight.

He brushed his thumb over her chin, staring at her with so much love and admiration, her throat closed up at the intensity. "What's a garden without guava?"

Who was she without him? What was her family without him? What was life without him? Her memories moved like a strip of tethered film in her mind, and they all looked so pale, like the colors had been turned down. This was better than anything she would have ever dreamed of.


	14. Chapter 14

_**A long time coming, I know. Here is a great group chapter, with Jate emphasis of course and a new arrival. For those of you who have stuck it out with me, I hope you enjoy! **_

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His large frame was spooned around her back, butt and legs, acting as a warm, snug cocoon for her small, pregnant body. His hand wandered from its place over the rise of her naked hip to her swollen abdomen. His fingers found the distended bump, and a smile came to his lips. She was bigger now, obviously and proudly pregnant, and he didn't think that she could have possibly looked more beautiful. He was wrong.

They came back from their small venture into the jungle and told the group their happy news. Claire and Sun couldn't stop squealing, so excited that each of them would have a child of their very own soon enough. Claire was already making plans for a joint baby shower for Kate and Sun, who was ready to deliver any day now. Jack endured the endless badgering from Hurley out of everyone, insisting endlessly that he must have psychic powers, because of his never-ending theory that Jack and Kate would reside in the caves with enough children to rival any regulation football team known to man.

Weeks had passed since then, and he never thought to keep count of just how much time had flown by. His father did warn him that there was no _now_ here, which meant that time was truly irrelevant, but time showed itself in how Kate's body began to change, evolved into this gorgeous vessel that carried their child. As a doctor, that's how his brain worked. The evidence was right there, their child would soon outgrow the confines of Kate's womb and be born, brought into their arms like the precious gift that he was. He knew it was a boy, he just couldn't pinpoint his evidence for that knowledge, but he felt it every time he touched her. He had all he could ever want right there in his arms, and it almost felt too surreal, like at any second, it could be snatched away from him, but he already knew how that felt, the way his gut twisted into a million knots every single second he was apart from her and here, he knew that nothing could harm this, absolutely nothing.

Her eyes lingered open, as she subconsciously felt the change in his breathing patterns against her back, which always signaled when he had woken from sleep. She felt the strong, sure hand over her extended stomach and the audible sigh from his lips that brushed lightly against her cheek. She brought her hand up to cover his, her splayed fingers fitting perfectly between his.

"Morning." She sighed through a heavy yawn.

He laid a kiss to her shoulder in response, nestling his nose into the sweet scent of her hair.

She turned in his arms, her beautiful mouth turned into a sleepy, sluggish grin.

He moved a ruffled bed of curls from the side of her face and brought his arms more tightly around her. "Any morning sickness today?"

"Nope. I'm great. Is it safe to say that the worst is over?"

"I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see."

Her hand traveled over the bulge of his strong shoulder. "What about you, Papa? Any sympathy pains for me?"

He giggled. "In fact, my nipples have been a bit sore lately..."

That earned him a playful smack across his chest. He laughed ruggedly as he pulled her into a hug. She moved from the hug and kissed him long and hard, voicing her intent with the sweet pressure of her mouth against his. Both of her hands began to roam over his shoulders and back, then lower and lower, until her hands cupped the full cheeks of his bare behind, scratching lightly, teasingly. It brought her back to the night before, when they had retreated from the group to engage in their own private party. Their clothes still lay strewn all over the tent still, their need for one another as obvious as their tangled limbs and huffed groans.

She reached between them and wrapped her hand around him. Hard, thick, smooth, just like he always was this time in the morning, which suited her horny, restless mood perfectly. He took control of the pace of the kiss seconds after he felt her hand curl around him, bracketing her face between his hands, stealing her breath while she stroked him repeatedly, her intentions and demands clear in the way she danced him into madness.

She urged him to lie on his back as she broke from their kiss. She sat up, straddling him, her body on full display for him. Pregnancy agreed with her on all counts. With the knowledge of their baby and the fact that Jack knew of the one she'd lost, a load magically lifted from her shoulders. He didn't think it was possible that she was happier than she was before, but she was. He was careful not to bring up the baby she lost. It was out in the open, but the wound was still sore, it hadn't yet healed, he saw it in her eyes. She opened up to him on occasion, told him of the names that she and Margo debated about, how she graciously handed down some of Jack's baby clothes, and a beautiful baby-blue hand-woven blanket, a kind of Shephard family heirloom that was passed down from generation to generation. It was a gesture filled with both love and promise.

She connected with him, impaling his thickened length and she simultaneously let go of an excited squeal once he was seated fully inside of her, every rock-hard inch of him. She found that place again that only existed with Jack. That place where she felt redeemably whole, all of the parts of her that were missing were now filled in, overflowing with a love so powerful, she didn't know how to tame it. She rode him at her own pace, slowly then rabidly, pumping into him until he was on the tip of that luscious explosion, and then she would stop moving altogether, until he literally shook with anticipation. She pushed his hands away every time they came up to cup her widened hips and urged a new, immediate tempo. She made it clear that she was taking the reigns this time. She wasn't pregnant enough to be demoted to simply lying there while he did all the work, she would be soon, but until then, she would enjoy this, the control, the power, the view of him in the throes of her feminine prowess. His hands closed over the twin mounds of her breasts, full, soft and pert, her hardened nipples pinched between his fingers, which only egged her on.

Several minutes later, her thoughts washed away in the gushed, whirl-winded burst of tingling eruptions at her center. Kate collapsed against him with a loud, huffed cry, her fingernails raking over the skin of his chest, her climax coming hard and fast, the bright spectrum of light behind her eyelids blinded her. Jack covered her mouth with his own, muffling her residual moans as she shook and shivered against him. He had to control his own volume as he groaned through his peak, his very essence spilling inside of her as she milked him for everything he had to give. He closed his eyes tightly, brought his arms around her and breathed through the emotions that closed his throat every time they came together this way. Everything about him tilted at her touch. Everything he knew about himself and his place in the world centered on this woman. That type of completeness seemed too good to be true. He felt that way the first time they made love and every time thereafter.

He encouraged her to disconnect and lay on her side next to him and she did so, shaking with expectation for what he had planned. He laid light kisses down the length of her neck and spine, taking his time to enjoy her. He finally fit her tightly against him, and entered her slowly and carefully from behind. He stayed still for awhile, trying to resist the urge to pump into her and end things prematurely seeing as how he was already approaching the edge, the silky, slippery, velvety feel of her making it so hard to last through what was to come. He advanced and retreated repeatedly, building a calm, sweet and loving rhythm, bringing another orgasm out of her. She cried out against the crested tide of electric heat that flooded her core, a long, mournful sigh reached his ears once her body began to settle.

Her breath hitched, her fingers dug into the arms that were wrapped around her. She slid her palm over his hip and then curled her hand on the inside of his thigh, near the bottom of his butt. She traveled higher between his legs and pressed lightly on the small area at the base of him, a special erogenous zone that always drove him to explosion. She felt him trembling as his orgasm caught him by surprise. She heard the raspy gruff of his breathing, could feel the dampness where his chest met her back and the extra tight hold he suddenly had on her as his release claimed his senses.

Their bodies went slack, completely boneless as they laid there on the makeshift cot in the sand, holding each other fiercely, morning sunlight seeping through the tarp material that surrounded them. She sensed his concentrated silence. "You okay?"

"Damn. That was incredible. How am I going to survive an _eternity_ with you?" He asked through a short, happy giggle before laying a kiss to her temple and wrapping his arms more tightly around her.

"Me?" She feigned surprise through her own laughter.

His hand moved caressingly over her breasts and the swell of her pregnant abdomen. "Yes. _You_. You have more energy than I have strength to keep up with these days."

She shrugged. "Blame Junior. He's the one who wanted us to be together just now."

"Junior, huh? So you had absolutely, positively _nothing_ to do with it?" He asked playfully. She bit back a guilty smile, curly strands stuck to her damp forehead.

She moved to turn then, their sensitive centers disconnecting and more sleep threatening to keep them in their tent for the rest of the morning. She snuggled up next to him as she always had. The baby was suddenly on edge, jostling around, kicking and squirming in every direction. Jack kissed the top of Kate's forehead before giving way to joyous laughter.

"You feel him too, huh?" She asked, bringing her hand over where their child kicked in a fitful tantrum in her womb.

"Yeah, I do. He seems pretty pissed at us. I guess we know whose temper he's inherited." He bit down on his bottom lip to squelch the smile that almost lifted his face.

A green blaze shown in her eyes as she moved to look at him. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Oh, I can think of a few things." He smiled as she playfully swatted at his arm.

"Yeah, we're definitely gonna have our hands full. You think he'll take it easy on us once he's finally out of there?" She joked with an edge of seriousness.

He yawned. "I hope so." He looked at her solemnly, brushing those inevitable, tangled strands from her eyes. His breath caught in his throat every time he looked into the deep sea of green that greeted him every morning. "I get it now."

"Get what?" She asked, sincerely confused.

"Why you had such a problem with Juliet and David. I want you to know that I get it, and I'm sorry that I didn't just come out and tell you about it. I didn't think that it would matter to you, that…whatever that was, wouldn't make a difference."

Now she felt bad for making such a big deal about it. "No Jack, you shouldn't apologize. It was me, all me. I should have told you about the baby. I hate that you had to find out from Claire. We've had so many moments when I almost told you. That first night in the caves, the waterfall and when we were at the barracks. I've wanted to tell you for a long time, and before I could, I found out that you already had a child that you loved."

He brought a curled finger to her chin, encouraging her to look at him, her tears unshed, too stubborn to let them fall for the millionth time."Kate, just because I love and miss David doesn't mean that I wouldn't have loved and missed our child in the same way. The fact that I wasn't there for you during the miscarriage, it hurts me more than words can convey."

She caught the tears that formed in his eyes. "I know. I can see it in your eyes, I've seen it in your eyes ever since you told me that you knew."

She kissed him lightly, and he knew that was the most they would ever talk about that, the most they would ever need to talk about it. They both sensed that and were completely okay with it.

"We should get up, see what the rest of the gang is up to." Jack playfully swatted at Kate's bare behind as he sat up.

"Why? So Sawyer can make more jokes about how fat I've become?" Kate scoffed.

"He did what?" Jack screeched, his eyes steaming.

She laughed. "Don't worry babe, it's just Sawyer being Sawyer. I can take him."

"I know you can." He grinned, watching her as she stumbled around to find her jeans.

"Damnit, I have to pee…_again_." She admitted shyly. She dressed quickly, reaching towards the opening of their tent.

"Want me to go with you?" He offered.

"I can manage all on my own, but thanks." She kissed him before she started to move outside of the confines of their tent, Jack watching her with avid attentiveness. She suddenly stopped halfway through the tent's opening. "Jack?"

"Yeah?" He asked, pulling his T-shirt over his chest and turning to look for his jeans.

"There's no one on the beach." She said.

"What?" He pulled the other flap of the tent's opening back. The beach had been completely deserted.

"What the...?" Jack stammered. No matter what time of day, there was always someone on the beach.

They walked out of their tent, surveying the beach a little more thoroughly and still, no one could be found. Something fell from the sky at lightening speed, crashing into the water trough that Kate leaned into. She squealed in surprise as drops of water flew upward.

"What the heck was that?" She asked

Jack pulled the object from the base of the makeshift trough. A golf ball. He turned, holding it up for Kate to inspect.

"A golf ball?" She asked.

He threw the ball into the air, catching it in his palm. "I guess we know where the gang ran off to."

The golf course was right where he remembered, a few yards northeast of the beach. The open field brought every ray of sunlight into view, a direct contrast to the shaded beach they inhabited. Makeshift flag-poles with torn pieces of cloth tied to the top of bamboo stalks were scattered all over in the distance. Jack stood back and admired the group's merriment. Everyone was there. Rose and Bernard stood off the side, watching the game, Bernard more enthused and attentive than Rose, who was engrossed in Aaron as she held him tightly to her chest. Sawyer and Juliet watched on with casual awareness, more interested in catching up with everyone since they arrived on the beach three days before. Even Sayid and Shannon, who returned to the beach weeks ago, took interest in watching Hurley attempt to conquer the winds that kept affecting his ball's projectile. The only person missing was Locke, but that was okay. He was never one for this sort of thing. He would rather hunt, gather, and be at one with the Island. What he was doing, trekking through the jungle, tracking boar, discovering more and more beauty in his favorite places, was his ultimate sport of choice. Everyone picked up where they left off, like the years since the last time they all stood on this course were extinct. In that moment, Jack truly understood what his father meant when he said that the time that he spent with these people was the most important time in his life.

Jack looked over at Kate, who was just as emotional and riveted by the scene in front of her as he was. He took her hand as she looked up to him with a tearful grin and led her forward. Claire turned to see Jack and Kate walking towards the group, hands intertwined.

"Jack! Kate!" She called. Everyone turned and greeted them.

Jack gestured to the wide field in front of them. "I see you renovated the course, Hurley."

"Hey Jack. Charlie thought it would be cool to get it up and running again. We finally got more than two holes. Welcome to the Island Open…again."

Sun and Juliet, who now held Aaron in her arms, stood together, talking and laughing, peeking up at the game every now and then. Kate moved towards Sawyer, who stood alone, enjoying the pleasant moment.

"Not so much of an outcast anymore, I see." Kate teased.

"I guess the same goes for you too, Freckles." Sawyer gestured to her baby bump. "How is the little one doin'? You still gotta pee all the time?"

"He's fine, and my bladder won't cooperate until he's born I guess."

He cocked his head. "_He_? You sound sure about that."

She nodded, laying her small palm over her otherwise large abdomen. "I am."

"You know, there's an old ultrasound machine in the medical station back at the barracks if you and Jack want to know for sure." Sawyer offered.

"Jack would have a coronary if I ever left the beach in my condition. Plus, I don't need it; I know it's a boy. It's hard to explain. I just know." She turned, watching as Jack and Claire engaged in easy conversation. She loved it so much when they were together, talking, laughing, smiling. These were the moments she wanted them to have so badly, after seeing firsthand what not knowing each other did to each of them.

Sawyer was about to reply, when he was interrupted by Hurley, and the collected groans of the group.

"Sorry! My bad! I call a do-over!" Hurley yelled.

"It's a _mulligan_, Hurley. A mulligan. How many times do I have to explain it to tell ya, mate?" Charlie scolded.

"First off, you don't have the right club, and secondly, you're holding it all wrong." Jack said. He walked over to the tote that held all of the iron clubs, pulled a slim seven iron rod from its place and moved back to Hurley. He demonstrated how to hold the club so that he was in complete control of where the ball went and its speed. He was instantly engrossed in the game and how to improve Hurley's chances of a good swing.

"Thanks dude." Hurley said once his hands were in the right position. He paused when the idea struck him and turned to Jack. "You wanna swing, dude? I'm kinda….terrible at this."

"No bloody way mate! He's a doctor, being a good golfer comes with the job." Charlie said, his competitive side shining through.

"Not exactly Charlie. Some of the surgeons I used to work with back at home are worse than you two combined." Jack joked with a smile.

"Come on Charlie! Let Jack swing! We're gonna be out here all day if you and Hurley keep this up!" Claire yelled impatiently from where she stood. The rest of the group mumbled their agreement. As much as they loved being together over a harmless round of golf, it would actually be nice if the game picked up and got interesting.

"We're all just having a little fun, right? No harm no foul." Jack offered.

"Actually, since we've got a real player on the course, why don't we start making this more interesting? Keep score? Winner gets bragging rights? It'll be fun…for the winner anyways." Hurley offered.

Jack shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

"Fine." Charlie relented.

Jack prepared himself for the swing, setting his hands and feet in the correct positions and swung, watching as the ball careened through the open space, landing a few inches from the flagged hole. Jack smiled and turned to everyone's applause and whistle-calls of approval.

"Dude, you're better than I remembered…" Hurley mumbled.

"I promise to go easy on you. This is a gentlemen's sport after all." Jack said as he walked back towards the crowd.

"Would you look at this? You are absolutely glowing, you and Sun." Rose said as she brought her arms around Kate.

"Thank you. I sometimes feel like I'm about to burst any second. It's a little scary."

"Birth is the most beautiful and natural event in all of God's creation. You shouldn't be afraid of anything. You know, Bernard and I were too old when we met to have children of our own, who would have their own children someday, so we missed out on being grandparents. But, in our hearts, we feel like all of you are our children, and whatever children you bring along, we feel like they belong to us too. We would be honored to serve as grandparents for your child. Anything you and Jack need, we're here."

Kate was visibly touched by the offer, speechless and on the verge of tears. She never knew what it was like to have a family, and just as she set out for that first morning in the caves, she stood among her family, with Jack at the center of it all, smiling and quietly enjoying Charlie and Hurley try to best his score. Before she could respond, Rose brought her in for another hug. Kate watched over Rose's shoulder as Bernard spoke with Sun and Jin, who was no doubt offering for their child what Rose offered for hers. Jin and Sun brought their arms around Bernard with smiles and laughter.

"Jack and I would love that. Thank you so much." Was all she could think to say in the moment, still very speechless and eternally touched.

The golf game was picking up, they moved through the open field, Hurley, the course's craftsman directed everyone from one hole to the next. Jack was the obvious frontrunner, taking advantage of his knowledge and skill of the game by sinking more holes and scoring more birdies than either Charlie or Hurley, who were just in it for the fun of the game at this point. Kate walked leisurely with the group, and didn't notice that he was behind her until she heard his voice.

"Enjoying the game?" Jack whispered.

She turned, staring up at him. "Yeah, actually I am, but not as much as you are. Since when did you get so good?"

He scoffed, looking down at her pretty face. "What are you talking about? I've always been this good."

"I remember a little game between the two of us where you got so embarrassingly creamed." She reminded him with a laugh, watching as he rolled his eyes. He'd always hated it when she rubbed her victory in his face. She considered that one-on-one game of golf they shared all that time ago their first real date. They tested each other's boundaries, teased the waters of their instantaneous attraction to see just how far and deep it ran, and she discovered that it ran very far and incredibly deep, to the point where she'd forgotten that they were stranded on an Island.

"I don't remember it being that bad." He said with a low chuckle.

"Oh it was bad, especially after all that, '_Kate, golf is accuracy_' mumbo jumbo. I have to say though, you were so incredibly cute trying to suck it up and continue with the game. I never knew you were such a sore loser."

"Oh no. I'm not a sore loser. To prove it, after our little one is born, I want that rematch." He said, planting his large hand over where the baby kicked.

Her eyes squinted. "Go for it, and don't you hold back because I'm the mother of your child. I want to win again, fair and square."

He shook his head at her insistence that she won. He was making his triumphant comeback when the moment, as it always was for the two of them, was unceremoniously interrupted. "I would never."

"Jack! You're up!" Charlie screamed from the head of the group once they made it to the next hole.

"Go get 'em, stud." Kate said with a wink before laying a light kiss to his lips.

Everyone moved to the next hole at their own pace. Jin and Sun brought up the rear, trying to keep up with everyone else, but content to hang back to enjoy each other in private. Suddenly, Sun gripped Jin's hand, harder than she ever had.

"Jin." He heard the distress in her tone. She gripped at the cloth covering her very pregnant middle, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. "I think my water just broke."

Jin started to mumble nervously and loudly in Korean, speaking the foreign language faster than his mind could wrap itself around the idea that the time has come. Sayid was the first to turn and notice Jin's uneasiness and the startled look on Sun's face. He yelled to the group that stood a few feet ahead of him, alarming everyone that Sun was in labor. The group moved back to the beach, making way for the new arrival, making sure that Sun was comfortable in the familiar surroundings of the tent she shared with her husband, while Jin sat behind her, anchoring her and Juliet kneeled between her open legs, a large throw blanket lay over her thighs. Juliet coached Sun through the contractions and was there to direct the delivery.

Everyone stood with bated breath outside of Jin and Sun's tent, which was cloaked to allow the soon-to-be-parents some seclusion. When they finally heard the baby's distressed cries echo through the late-afternoon air, they erupted in applause and cheers. It was a perfect finish to what everyone considered to be the perfect day.

Juliet finished up with Jin, Sun and their newborn daughter, Ji-Yeon Kwon, letting them enjoy the rest of the evening in private before she made her way over to the tent she shared with James. She looked up and saw him standing in wait for her, leaning against the nearby trunk of a banyan. She smiled and moved towards him. She saw the question in his eyes before he even opened his mouth.

She sighed. "They're both fine."

The tightness of his chest subsided as he let go of a proud smile. "You're amazing you know that?" Sawyer offered, the flicker of a nearby fire showed how exhausted she was and how in awe of her he was.

"I didn't do much of anything. I was just there to make sure she was breathing when she came out." Juliet said.

"You did so much more than that, I'm sure. I guess your modesty is one of the reasons why I love ya." He caught her staring at Jin and Sun, their family picture now complete. He sensed the sadness and the painful longing in her eyes and for as long as he'd known and loved her, he never thought to bring up the topic of children and parenthood.

"You want one of your own, dont'cha Blondie?" Sawyer asked out of nowhere, bringing his arms around her waist, laying a kiss to her cheek.

She continued to marvel at the small, happy families that surrounded her. Jin watched Sun and their newborn daughter dotingly as they slept side by side under the shaded tree where their tent stood. A few feet away, Charlie laid a sleeping Aaron into his crib and wrapped the baby blanket snugly around him, while Claire watched with an appreciative smile. Even Jack and Kate were bringing new life into the world, their world, what they all took part in creating together. She emotionally shook herself out of her trance, pulling herself together before she looked over at him.

"I gave up on that dream a long time ago, James." She offered, not willing to tell him that the thought of a baby had been on her mind for awhile now. She helped so many women bring children into the world, but ironically enough, she was never able to conceive. He just continued to hold her.

"Well, we never talked about it, whether or not you rethought your stance on the issue. I ain't tryin' to push you; I just want you to know that if you want that, we can have it." He said calmly.

She looked into his eyes; the ends of his sandy blonde locks blew across his strong, stubbled jaw as a light gust of wind wafted between them. He meant what he was telling her, and that meant more to her than she could ever tell him. The bonfire to their left roared towards the darkened sky.

"I'm not ready to go to bed yet. Wanna sit on the beach with me for awhile?" Juliet asked, avoiding the topic of discussion completely. Sawyer dropped it, opting to do whatever it was she wanted to do.

"Do you even gotta ask?" Sawyer answered, taking her hand and walking with her towards the water's edge.

Jack finally made it to the tent, pulling the flap of the opening back to find Kate just where he thought she would be, laying on her side in their bed, one hand lying protectively over her pregnant belly while she slept. The small lantern next to the bed cast an intimate glow over her cheeks. She had retreated back to their tent after getting a good, long look at the precious Ji-Yeon and voicing her excited congratulations to her good friends. She suddenly opened her eyes, cosmically sensing him as he stared at her amorously.

"Hey there stranger." She whispered.

"Hey. Got room for one more?" He asked.

She smiled, patting her hand over the bed next to her. "Always." He reclined next to her, the tip of his nose brushing over hers, his strong arm wrapped around her waist. He kissed her forehead, taking a moment to take in the scent of her hair. "How're Sun and the baby?"

"They're doing great. Juliet checked them both out. She has all her little fingers and toes. She's so small, so beautiful."

"She really is. Rose and Bernard offered to be our baby's grandparents."

Jack fell into a bout of speechlessness. She could see in his face that he was just as honored and humbled by Rose and Bernard's offer as she was. "That's…" Was all he could get out.

"Yeah, I know." Kate let go of a long and drawn-out yawn.

Jack's large hands rubbed comforting circles over Kate's back, lulling her to sleep. "Today has been pretty eventful, huh?"

"Yeah. It was fun hanging out with everyone, doing something that we could all enjoy. Sun and Jin, they were the happiest I've ever seen them. It was so beautiful watching Jin hold his daughter for the first time. He missed her entire life, never got to meet her, to know her, to hold her. I'm so glad they finally get to be a family. I'm so glad we finally get to be one too. I can't wait."

She burrowed her nose into the crook of his neck, inhaling sharply. He smelled just as he always had, just pure and simple Jack, a blend of sea salt and his natural scent, making her mind turn to images of them entangled in each other, a blur of slick skin and fused mouths. She hadn't thought of much else all day. He was right, he wouldn't survive her, not at the rate she suddenly wanted to go.

"I can't wait either." He said. "I can't wait to teach him everything I know. To watch him grow and evolve. Do you think he'll like playing the piano? There's one back at the barracks that I could use to teach him how to play. Or maybe he'll be more of the outdoorsy-type kid and would rather kick a ball around than study sheet music. He could be both. Lets just hope he doesn't inherit your perchant for climbing into the highest tree he can find." He continued to ramble, until he noticed that she watched him with the biggest session of adoration in her eyes.

His brow arched. "What?"

"I love it so much when you do that." She smiled.

"Do what?"

"Dote on how great it'll be to have a child, to be a father. It makes it all less scary."

"Everything is going to be just fine, Kate. Everything will finally be perfect."

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_**I believe that I have 5 or so more chapters under my belt for this fic, and then it's time for it to end. I love it so much and I thank my devoted readers (Yas, Aalieen, lostindallas and others) so much for getting me this far.**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**This chapter is way overdue. So sorry about that guys, but in the meantime, I hope my recent one-shots ('Square One' and 'Plenty') were entertaining and tied you over where this fic is concerned. Without further delay, here is Chapter 15.**_

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He'd woken up before anyone else, the morning sun painting faint pinks and shaded yellows across the sky, illuminated perfectly by the calm tides in the water. He quietly shuffled around their tent, reaching blindly for his T-shirt, and finding it pinned underneath the makeshift cot that still held her reclined frame. He gently pulled at it, and eventually yanked it free.

Kate immediately felt him move away, his missing warmth made her edgy. She turned, watching him pull his T-shirt over his head.

"Hey you."

He smiled, noting the instant goosebumps that rose over his skin at just the sound of her voice, groggy from sleep and incredibly sexy from other events, reminding him of what they'd engaged in the night before. He turned, kissed her mouth and the precious mound of her belly.

"Morning." Was all he offered, continuing to shift around the tent, reaching for his hiking boots.

"Jack, where are you going so early?" She asked through a full yawn.

"I've taken over your fruit-picking duties. We're running low on pretty much everything."

She squinted, shards of offense in her tone. "I'm not completely helpless, you know?"

He sighed. All he wanted to do was pick up some of the slack, and it was like he was taking away her one and only contribution to their community. He knew that it was more than picking fruit for her, it was about having some time to herself, being one with the jungle, with the incandescent space around her, and last but not least, to be the independent, free-spirit that he knew her to be. He hated that he had to treat her like she wasn't willing to take care of herself and their baby, he knew there was nothing more important to her, but he knew Kate, he knew how rebellious she could be, which was why he wanted to duck out of the tent before she could ask him where he was going.

"I know that Kate, better than anyone, but you're pregnant, _very_ pregnant. I just want you to take it easy while I'm gone," he spoke over the frustrated groan she couldn't hold back once she turned away from him. "When we talked to Juliet, she told us that you're fast approaching your due-date, so this a critical time for you and the baby. I don't want you overdoing it. Just stick to the beach, okay?"

She continued to ignore him. She wanted to punch him for this, for what she saw coming a mile away, that annoyingly protective, meticulously cautious, extremely overbearing side that had been festering inside of him the moment she started to show. Even before then, he watched her with extra attention, and most of all, with a love that caused lumps to form in her throat. A small smile broke out on her lips as he continued to try to reach her good side again. She finally fell onto her back, meeting those eyes that could summon anything out of her.

"You promise?" He asked, leaning over her, studying her with the tinge of a smile in his eyes. She immediately lightened up under his contented gaze.

"Okay. Okay. I promise." She relented, more for him than herself.

He took his time collecting the varied bundles of mangoes, some ripened with their green sheen and some still faintly yellow, on the verge of maturity. His pack weighed on his shoulders as he moved through the brush. He came to a small, pebbled rivulet, grateful to have an excuse to rest for a second. He kneeled at the border of the water, dipped his hands in and rubbed his dripping wet palms over his face. He welcomed the cool sensation as his mind continued to reel. They'd only talked to Juliet a few days ago, at his insistence, and he still couldn't get Kate's impending due-date off of his mind. He shouldn't be worried; everything was going to be fine. If he told himself that enough, maybe he'd start to believe it. It was just nerves, he gathered, irrational jitters at the fact that soon fatherhood wouldn't be something that he would spend countless hours of the day thinking about, it would be real.

He heard the rustling of leaves over the hill right in front of him, causing him to look up to inspect the source of the sounds. A plump figure came into view, the bright sunlight over his shoulder made it hard for Jack to see exactly who was approaching him.

"Hey there, Jack!" Bernard's signature chirp was the only thing Jack could discern. The older man carried a pack over his shoulder as he approached the small stream.

"Hey Bernard," Jack said with a grin once the older man's face came into view, "what are you doing out here?"

"I live out here, Jack." Bernard said, his eyes teasing.

Jack laughed, nodded shortly. "Right."

"But to your credit, that's easy to forget since Rose and I spend so much time on the beach nowadays. Being here for decades without neighbors or anyone to talk to but each other will do that to ya."

"I'm sure you know that Rose is on the beach right now with Sun. She hasn't been able to let Ji-Yeon out of her sight."

Bernard waved his hand. "Oh I was counting on that. She's always been a sucker for babies. I hope you know she'll be just as obsessed with your little one once Kate gives birth."

"Which could be any day now…" Jack mumbled more to himself than Bernard. He let his head drop and his shoulders fall, and shook the excess water from his hands, wiping the rest over the fabric of his jeans.

"I'm sorry?" Bernard asked.

Jack looked up from his wayward reflection in the small tide of the stream. "Oh, nothing."

Bernard took his thermos out of his pack. "You're nervous about the delivery, aren't you?"

What _didn't_ Bernard pick up on? Jack mused. "How could you tell?"

"I think men have a sixth sense for one another when it comes to things like this, things we can't control, but desperately want to. Is something wrong with her? Is the baby okay?" Bernard's voice rang with worry.

"No. Kate's fine. Great actually, her and the baby." He was grateful for that much. "She's just being a little uncooperative with slowing down and taking it easy. I swear, it's like she wants me to strap her down for her own good."

"That's the worst thing you could do. I remember the last time I tried to do something for Rose's own good, she didn't talk to me for a week." Bernard recalled, laughing at the fond memory. "The moment you start to think for a woman is the moment she loses faith in the idea that you have faith in her."

Truer words were never spoken, which is why Jack refrained from telling Kate what to do, but rather suggesting that she lay low, put her feet up, enjoy the pregnancy, because he knew good and well that he was literally memorizing her like this, swollen with their child, her body's natural glow blinding him every time he looked at her.

Jack stomped through the jungle's undergrowth as he made his way back to the beach. The sanded area was full of life once again, a complete contrast to how he left it this morning. Boone and Hurley were battling their way through a ping-pong game, the clash of competitive wills evident as the ball looked more like a blur in the wind than a physical object. They waved to Jack once he was visible and quickly resumed their blood-thirsty match. He fondly recalled that ping-pong table and how terrible he was at the game. One would think that the precise hand-eye coordination of a skilled surgeon would work in his favor, but it hadn't. It was the only time Sawyer had ever won against him, at anything, and he never let up about it. The memory made him smile.

He noticed Sun as she watched Rose cradle Ji-Yeon to her chest in an attempt to burp her. He spotted a figure further down the beach. He knew it was her, just by the way her curls blew in the wind, the way her hand sat upon her pregnant belly, the way her feet were buried in the sand. She was everything the word _feminine_ conveyed. She was still so slender everywhere else, the only sign of pregnancy was her abdomen. He got close enough to touch her, but didn't reach out, watching as she sighed. Her shoulders slumped and she closed her eyes, welcoming the cool wind across her heated cheeks.

"Well, this is a first. You, standing still, middle of the day, doing nothing. Amazing."

She turned towards the familiar voice, watching as he moved closer with the biggest smile on his face.

She grinned up at him. "Just following doctor's orders. I'm cheating a bit though. I'm not exactly doing nothing."

He looked down at her ankles, a small tide of water sloshed over them, taking bits of sand with it as it retreated from the shore. She was sinking. '_The water goes out, takes the sand with it and you sink_'. He remembered when she recalled the memory from her younger years, a happier instance with her mother. He gathered that she didn't have many joyful childhood memories to draw from, so he was startled by the admission, especially from her, who seemed so guarded and private back then. Now, he knew her every emotion, her every façade, and he hoped that she would share with their child what her mother shared with her.

He kissed her forehead, his hand rubbing comforting circles over her back. "How are you feeling? Did you eat the fish and drink the water I left for you?"

"Yes, Dr. Shephard." She mocked.

"Good girl." He joked with a laugh, watching her scowl playfully at him. In an attempt to appease her, he placed a large hand over her very pregnant middle and laid a heavy kiss to her lips, the kiss deepening once she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him completely into her. The moment was interrupted by Aaron's wailing from Claire's tent. Jack and Kate turned and watched as Claire groaned, pulling Aaron from his makeshift crib and bouncing him around in her arms, but his cries only grew louder.

"Looks like she needs some help." Jack said, watching Claire struggle.

"I wonder where Charlie went. I haven't seen him all morning. Did you see him in the jungle at all?"

Jack shook his head. "No, I didn't."

They both moved to Claire's tent. "Hey Claire. How's it goin'? Is Aaron okay?" Kate asked, smoothing her hand over the ball of Aaron's head.

"Hey Kate, Jack. It's goin' okay. He's been antsy all morning. I'm not sure what's wrong with him, maybe he's coming down with something." Jack and Kate stole a frightened glance. They both knew how inconsolable and downright irritating Claire could be when she thought that Aaron was sick. They had to pacify her fears too many times to count and were not looking forward to doing that ever again.

"Mind if I hold him?" Jack offered.

"Of course not." Claire said, happy to hand her disgruntled child off to his uncle. Jack settled Aaron against his chest and the child instantly stopped fussing about, becoming seemingly comfortable in the strong arms and hands that held him.

"Well, would you look at that?" Claire sat astonished, smiling at the sight before her, Aaron curled up against Jack's chest, settled and at peace. Kate always told her how great Jack was with Aaron, but seeing it for herself made her long to see it more often.

"Your brother has always been good with kids, he just doesn't like to admit it." Kate complimented, watching the embarrassed blush blanch Jack's cheeks. She welcomed a bout of déjà vu as Jack paced a small path into the sand, talking to Aaron softly.

Claire turned to Kate, her indigo orbs sparkling with excitement. "Speaking of kids, I'm so excited for you two! Oh my God, I have the perfect idea for a baby shower for you and Sun. I've been trying to figure out when to have it."

"Well, I'm free for the next eternity or so…" Kate admitted with a chuckle.

Soon enough, it was as if Jack and Aaron had disappeared as Kate allowed Claire to talk her ear off about her plans. Kate was definitely used to Claire's powerful lung capacity, seeing as how she just intently nodded when appropriate and spoke up once Claire gave her the floor. He saw the conjoined twinkle in their eyes every time they were together. He recalled Kate's credit to Claire for being there to help her pick up and move on. She was there with her through the aftermath of leaving the Island, the grief of his death, the miscarriage, everything. They were bonded in ways that he would never be able to fully understand, but it was so sombering to watch his sister and the love of his life interact in such a loving, comfortable way.

Jack continued to pace with Aaron and caught the sight of Charlie approaching Claire's tent. Charlie greeted both Jack and Aaron, kissing the small rosy cheeks of the infant before he timidly stepped toward Claire, whom he looked terrified of at the moment. Claire finally noticed his presence and couldn't contain her outrage until they were alone.

"Charlie Pace! Where in God's name have you been?"

He could only stare at the fiery, blonde Aussie, stumbling over his words. "I …was just—"

Claire cut him off before he could explain himself, not interested in the answer to her question at all. She fed him the grief she went through with a crying and inconsolable Aaron for the entire morning and early afternoon.

"Claire, I have a surprise for you!" Charlie exclaimed over her tirade.

She stopped mid-sentence, astonished and a little winded. "Wha—What?"

Charlie moved closer, caressing Claire's cheek with his hand. "That's where I go from time to time, to work on the surprise I have for you, just a few yards down the beach." He could feel her relenting, softening. "Look at you love, you're with Aaron all the time, you're tired. You need a break. We both do."

She couldn't argue with that. She loved her little boy so much, but he was becoming a constant handful. She felt a bit guilty for admitting that, even to herself, because it somehow made her feel like a terrible mother, for not having the stamina necessary to care for her son every second of every day. She moved off to the side, this time making sure Jack and Kate were somewhat out of earshot. "We can't. Who'll take care of Aaron while we're away?"

"Jack and I can look after him." Kate chimed in, causing Claire and Charlie to turn towards her.

Claire shook her head. "Kate, we can't ask you and Jack to do that."

"You didn't ask, we offered." Jack spoke up, looking down at Aaron's bright face. He giggled at nothing in particular, and Jack couldn't help but join in.

"Are you sure? You probably have better things to do." Claire continued to offer Jack and Kate a way out, but they didn't want it.

Kate rose and placed both hands on Claire's shoulders. "Claire, I'm sure Charlie has been planning this surprise for a long time. So why not go and enjoy it for as long as you can? Jack and I have taken care of Aaron before, remember? We know what we're doing. Go have fun."

Claire looked over at her big brother. Jack met her eyes and nodded, his silent signal of approval was the final showing of support that she needed.

Charlie travelled behind Claire as he helped her navigate to her surprise, his hands covering her eyes the entire way.

"This is dangerous, you know." Claire quipped.

He let out a confused chuckle. "Surprising you is dangerous?"

"Walking around with your hands over my eyes. I could trip and hurt myself. Now that you mention it, yes, I hate surprises."

It took a moment for Charlie to respond. "Do you love me, Claire?"

She almost laughed at the absurdity of his question. "Yes. Of course I do."

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

She smiled. "Always."

"Then trust that nothing terrible is going to happen." He stopped moving, which urged Claire to stop in her tracks. "You ready for your surprise?"

"Yep!" Claire happily squealed, suddenly excited to see what Charlie has done. His hands finally fell from her eyes. She took in the sight in front of her. A makeshift canopy stood in the middle of the sand, supported by four bamboo stalks at each corner. It was open to the nice breeze that blew off of the crystal blue water. She spotted what was sure to be their lunch at the center of the shaded area, plates, glasses and silverware were set off to the side, with dainty water-lilies in a plastic vase as the centerpiece.

"Charlie…this is…" She stammered.

"It's our picnic! Remember the one we had on the beach all that time ago?" Claire nodded wordlessly, her smile still bright, unrelenting. "Come on." Charlie took her hand and urged her to follow him.

He put on a ridiculously silly show of displaying each item on the menu once they were seated, utilizing his British accent to the most extreme case. "And finally, the finest jar of creamy, rich, 'melt-in-your-mouth' peanut butter this side of the Pacific. Your absolute favorite." She giggled at that last part, still in a blissful haze behind what he was so caring and kind to do for her. It was Charlie, classic Charlie Pace to do this, to make her feel special, wanted, desired. He moved away to gather the two plates that set off to the side when he felt her place her hand over his. He met her eyes, those sometimes steely, always beautiful ocean blues of hers that made his world stand at attention each and every time he looked at them.

She moved into him, her lips landing over his in a solid kiss. "I love you, Charlie."

"I love you too." He spoke quietly, barely above a whisper, letting the flutters take hold of him as Claire kissed him again and again.

"You sure it's not his diaper?" Jack asked Kate over Aaron's incessant wailing.

"It's not his diaper Jack, I checked it twice already." Kate assured him.

"Would you get him to stuff it, Doc?" Sawyer snipped as he walked by.

"We've tried everything James. You got any ideas? Because if so, I'd love to hear them." Jack snapped.

"Who do I look like? Mr. Mom? You decided to watch him, just get him to shut up." Sawyer pleaded before walking away.

"Take him." Jack said, handing him off to Kate.

She took Aaron from Jack's outstretched arms, a bit disappointed that he had given up so easily. She tried to appease Aaron herself, but before she could, Jack was reaching for him again. She passed him over and only then did she notice that Jack threw a small fleece blanket onto the sand. He sat the infant down on top of it and slumped down in front of him. Aaron ceased his crying fit as soon as he was free from Jack's grip. He looked around, confused, unsure of what to do. Jack just sat in waiting, allowing Aaron the freedom to provide his own entertainment, but the child had other plans as he slumped over on his stomach, gripping the quilt beneath him, his small arms willing him forward as he reached for Jack. He was crawling.

"You want me?" Jack giggled shockingly, pointing to himself as Aaron continued his journey across the blanket, small gurgles of joy seeping from the now happy child. Jack teased him, moving a few inches out of reach once Aaron got close enough to touch him, and he laughed excitedly each and every time, finding the game to be the perfect cure for his crankiness. Kate watched them for hours, and honestly, it did the same for her crankiness as it had for Aaron's.

Jack tucked the blanked over Aaron's tiny, exhausted body, watching the infant yawn once more before he succumbed to his exhaustion. Kate was reclined next to him, staring blankly at the stars. She was quiet all afternoon, never once taking part in entertaining Aaron, but intent to watch from a close distance.

"Hey." He whispered, tucking a curl behind her ear.

She smiled, the feel of his fingertips over her cheek incredibly soothing. Then she yawned, her mouth opening wide, catching Jack off guard a little. He laughed at the embarrassed blush in her cheeks once she noticed that he was watching her. "That was some yawn. Are you feeling okay?"

"How is it that you did all the work today with Aaron, but I'm the one that's so tired?"

"Well," he spoke, maneuvering himself so that he was lying down next to her, his arm slinging around her waist, "I think it's because of the little one trapped between us." He brought a hand to the side of her protruding abdomen, rubbing it as if to take some of her exhaustion for himself.

"_I just love seeing you with him._" She admitted openly after a moment of silence, her fingers playing with the hair of his forearm. She probably didn't remember saying that before, in the hallway of their home, but he definitely remembered her saying _just_ that, and particularly how it made him feel.

"I know you do," he whispered into her hair, fighting the emotions that were bound to overtake him. The present moment was so similar to the one all that time ago, tucking Aaron into bed after an evening of playing together, watching as his eyes disappeared under heavy eyelids, going to their bedroom to wrap Kate into his arms, the delicate pressure of her body next to his the only trigger he needed to fall into a peaceful abyss.

He could tell that she wasn't asleep, but she wasn't fully awake either. In that moment, she couldn't keep it to herself anymore. She reached into the pocket of the lounge pants she was wearing, and pulled out the small item and dropped it into his hand. Her engagement ring. It was a little worn from wear, but the solitaire diamond still sparkled.

"Kate, where did you find this?" He looked down at the ring that sat in the crevice of his large palm. He remembered the thought that he'd put into the spur-of-the-moment buy, and how he couldn't wait to put it on her finger, to ask her, the nervousness so wrought in his stomach he felt a little nauseous, lightheaded even. She'd said yes. It was all that mattered.

"It was in that luggage back in the caves. I went back into it to find something to wear the next morning and it fell out of one my jean pockets. I had no clue it was even there. I carry it around with me from time to time, and I wasn't sure whether or not to tell you about it."

"Why wouldn't you want to tell me?"

"I don't know. I just…didn't." It wasn't a decision that she consciously made. She would pull it out of her pocket in moments of solitude, placing it on her finger. It provided the perfect amount of weight that she'd always felt was missing. She spent so many years of her life desperate to feel the silver band around her finger, to look down and know that one day she would be his wife, that they would promise the rest of their lives to each other. She couldn't bear to wear it on her hand, but opted to wear it on a matching sterling silver chain around her neck instead.

He brought the ring up to inspect under the dim moonlight. "Can I put it back on your finger?" He sounded timid, almost as nervous as the night he'd proposed. He wanted to make the promises to her now that he couldn't then.

She looked up at him as if he were asking her to marry him for the first time, her eyes tired, but her beauty eternally luminous. "I've been waiting so long to hear you say that." The tears in her eyes trickled down her cheeks when she smiled brightly. She didn't know if it was her zany hormones or the fact that after all this time, he was her husband in every way that counted. The ring was only physical, a piece of pretty jewelry that she could wear to symbolize the promises they planned to make, it always had been, but now, somehow, it represented the hope that she kept when she refused to get rid of it, when she knew that she would see him again.

He took her left hand, and slipped the ring onto the appropriate finger. He placed her hand over the mound of her middle and kissed the tears from her cheeks, and finally gave her mouth the attention it deserved. He pulled away when it was most necessary, leaving her breathless and flushed. They settled back into each other's arms.

"Wow. We're married now." She smiled at her hand.

"We are?" He feigned panic, laughing at the playful slug she threw at his chest.

"Yes! We are. Now we can tell Junior that he was conceived out of blessed wedlock."

"Yeah, it'll be pretty tacky if we tell him that mommy and daddy got carried away right in the middle of a dark cave when he starts asking those kinds of questions." He concluded. She rolled into him and tucked her head beneath his chin, the musky scent of him was the best sleep inducer she'd ever known.

"What? No vows?" He asked incredulously, pretending to be shocked and dismayed.

"Heh. Like we need vows." He heard her huff from the crook of his neck right before she yawned heavily again. He grinned, quiet laughter coursing through him.

"Go to sleep Mrs. Shephard." He teased, kissing her forehead as her rocked her in the circle of his arms under the dozens of stars that dotted the night sky.

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_**The next chapter will hopefully be up sooner than this one was! Two months is too long for an update. I agree. ;)**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**Thanks for the reviews! Here is Chapter 16!**_

* * *

Kate held Ji-Yeon close to her chest, watching her beautiful, round face peek out from the blanket that was wrapped tightly around her. She gurgled and purred, then yawned. Her eyes opened and focused on Kate's face, who was mouthing her greeting to the gorgeous little girl.

"She's so beautiful Sun. I don't know how you refrain from eating her up." She began to rock Ji-Yeon in her arms as she continued to wake up.

Sun reached over to stroke her fingers over her daughter's jet-black tresses. "I don't know how I do it either. I guess she's so spoiled by her father, I don't have to."

The baby shower was going off without a hitch. Claire had worked hard to make the atmosphere look jubilant, simple yet inviting. Now that the gift-exchanges were over, the presents being unwrapped, opened and admired, and the snacks that she'd prepared were devoured, they were just sitting around, enjoying each other's company. She turned to her son just in time to catch him engrossed in another potentially harmful antic.

"Aaron! No!" Claire warned, but the damage was already done. Ever since he'd started crawling some time ago, Aaron found his way into everything, and it caused quite the work-out for both Charlie and Claire. She didn't know how he got away from her; he was a quick one that's for sure. His little fists were caked with sand and he was just about to bring it up to his mouth, startled out of his wits by his mother's disapproving tone. She picked him up, and wiped the sand from his little fists, still sticky from the fruit platter that he decided to bury his hands into.

"Bad boy! Very bad boy!" She scolded him, but all Aaron did was smile brightly at her, which made her smile in spite of her attempt to discipline him. His little teeth were starting to grow in as well, which often times made him cranky, when he wasn't getting into something that he shouldn't be of course.

"Oh, he's okay Claire. Once he discovers that sand takes horrible, he won't ever do it again. Boys will be boys after all." Rose soothed the younger woman, and then she smiled, taking in the sight of the beautiful young mothers before her.

"My God. We're about to have three very small children to take care of. This is gonna be interesting."

Sun laughed, and turned an eye to Juliet, who sat nearby, somewhat distracted. "Well, we could have _four_. That is if Juliet and James ever decide to have that baby after all."

Juliet's eyes darted towards her friend, who she mistakenly trusted to keep their conversations about a baby private. This was what she deserved for being amid mothers of newborns and one that was still expecting; the subject of her fertility potential was bound to come up. She was surprised that no one had given her and James sex tips on how to maximize their chances.

"You and James are thinking about having a baby?" Kate asked, eyeing her friend's brazen red cheeks. It was obvious that Juliet didn't want to talk about any of this, but that didn't stop any of the four women from boring holes into her, urging with their eyes for an affirmative to the question.

"We're talking about it. I've had…erm…issues with getting pregnant," her throat was suddenly dry. "It's one of the reasons why I decided to go into fertility research after medical school. I didn't want another woman to feel…incomplete, the way I had all those years." Claire brought her hand to Juliet's shoulder, rubbing it smoothly. She had never expected to get pregnant with Aaron, and while she thought about giving him away, she couldn't possibly imagine being without him. It was funny, she never expected to be a mother, the responsibilities thrust upon her, but women who wanted it so badly, women like Juliet, had to fight through the hurdles their own bodies placed against them.

Everyone showered Juliet with understanding and sympathetic glances. Rose was the first to notice the ring on Kate's left hand. She took her hand and inspected the ring with a keen eye. "Kate? What is this?" Juliet sighed, grateful for the subject change.

"It's…" She found it somewhat hard to explain. "It's my wedding ring. Jack and I are married."

"Oh my God! Since when?" Claire chimed, snatching Kate's hand so that she could ogle the diamond. She'd seen this ring before, many times before, dangling from a sterling silver necklace around Kate's neck. She remembered because there was the one and only time Kate lost it somewhere around the house and was frantic to find it again. Claire, the level-headed one of that particular situation, found it in the dryer. She took her time admiring it before she yelled to Kate that she'd found it. Her brother had excellent taste.

"For awhile now. He gave me this ring when we were together, raising Aaron. I found it in the caves a long time ago." Juliet, who knew that she and Jack were engaged when Kate confided that in her, shifted to admire the ring. It suited Kate's style as far as she was concerned. No piece of jewelry could actually match her style entirely, but it was close enough.

Jack returned from the jungle without a sound to signal his arrival. He loved just stepping onto the beach unnoticed, so that he could see everyone doing what they'd normally do this time of day. He caught a circle of bodies, sitting around a small table pitted into the sand. Sawyer, Hurley, Charlie, he presumed. He got closer, watching as Sawyer taunted Hurley and Charlie, begging them to challenge him. Jack felt like he was watching Sawyer play out one of his cons, playing things cool, before he dropped the bomb, leaving his counterparts with nothing but their shattered dignity.

"Don't do it Hurley." Jack advised. Everyone looked up to see him walking towards them.

"Jack, I got a killer hand here. I can't lose." Hurley insisted.

Jack reached him and patted him on the shoulder. "No you don't have a killer hand and yes, you can lose very easily. Trust me."

"Here we go again." Sawyer piped up, irritated that Jack had saved Hurley from raising the bet, which he was sure that he was going to do.

"Where you been all day dude?" Hurley asked.

"I went to get some fresh water for the beach."

"Is that all you do, Doc? Work?" Sawyer never looked up from his cards, but Jack could hear the disapproval and downright annoyance in his tone.

"I just like to keep busy, that's all." Jack admitted.

"Well, why don't you busy yourself with a nice round of Texas Hold 'Em. We could use a fourth hand."

"I'm not much of a gambler James, but thanks anyway."

"I don't know about that one Jack. You swept the sand with Sawyer the last time we played." Charlie chuckled at Hurley's comment, after which he looked over to see Sawyer staring daggers in his direction. He looked down at his cards as if ordered to do so.

"Well, Jack, you see, I'm lookin' to win my mangoes back, unless you're not willing to part with 'em, or you're just afraid of losing this time around." Hurley and Charlie looked up to see Jack's visual response to Sawyer's taunting.

He knew when he was being challenged, and could use a distraction from his wayward thoughts about Kate and the baby. He loosened the straps of his backpack as he shuffled them off his shoulders. "When you put it that way, I think I'll stay for a round or two."

They'd played four games straight, the tension increasing with with the start of a new one. Jack, once again, reigned supreme as the poker challenge was well underway, winning his fair share of mangoes and then some. Sawyer insisted they keep playing, prepared to take Jack down at the most pressing moment.

After shuffling his hand around to make sure he really had what he thought he had, he made a bet. "I see your five mangoes and raise the bet to five more, Hugo." Sawyer placed ten mangoes onto the growing pile.

Charlie whistled, truly impressed by Sawyer's bet. He threw his cards down. "I fold."

Hurley bit his lip, unsure of if he should give up just yet. "Come on Hurley. It's now or never."

Hurley lightly placed his cards on the table, face-down. "You're too rich for my blood. I fold too."

"Read 'em and weep boys." Sawyer laid his cards down and celebrated with a sardonic laugh, but he'd forgotten that Jack hadn't made a move yet. Jack still studied his hand, almost transfixed by the five playing cards in front of him, his expression emotionless. "So, what you got Doc?" Sawyer was smug, as sure as the sky above their heads that he'd finally won.

Jack played his cards, and put them down for all to see. The color drained from Sawyer's face. Jack was set, all the way, with a royal flush. He patted James on his shoulder, the look of disbelief still present on his face. "Looks like you won't be gettin' those mangoes back."

"Son of a bitch." Sawyer groaned. The defeat was another crushing blow to his confidence.

Jack smiled in his direction. "Eh. I won't collect this time around. I was just playing for the fun of it. Fun isn't all bad, right?"

"That's easy to say when you won everything except for the shirt off my back. It's okay. I already shuffled up Hurley's Dharma bus, so the game wasn't a total waste."

Jack sent a scathing look in Hurley's direction, who was trying with all of his might to divert the scrutiny. "You didn't tell him, did you?"

Sawyer looked between Jack and Hurley, "Tell me what?" Both Jack and Sawyer were staring at Hurley at this point. Even Charlie joined in.

Hurley buckled under the pressure. "Okay. Okay. Fine. My Dharma bus isn't exactly in tip-top shape." Jack smirked disapprovingly at Hurley, urging him to tell the whole truth. "It actually broke down about two to three miles inland." Sawyer brought a hand over his face, groaning irritatedly. "Sorry dude."

"What the hell am I supposed to do with a broke-down hunk of junk that's sittin' in the middle of the jungle?"

"We could get some tools, head out to fix it up." Charlie proposed.

"We can camp out in the jungle, too. Make s'mores, tell a few ghost stories." Hurley said, already excited about the ghost stories, even though he was terrible at storytelling.

Sawyer looked interested. "That ain't a bad idea. I haven't gotten my hands dirty under a hood in forever. Since the ladies are all huddled up, talking about us no doubt, it would be good for us to get away for awhile, unwind, bond a little. What do you say, Jacko? You think you can take a day off from hoverin' over Kate to hang out with the boys?"

Jack knew that he really shouldn't be leaving the beach for extended periods of time. Going out for fruit and water was a necessary trek, and an excuse to clear his head, lose his thoughts, his worries in the immense space, but he didn't even like doing much of that. He looked over at Kate, who had just erupted in laughter, her left hand sitting over their child, her diamond wedding ring gleaming in the mid-afternoon sunlight. She was perfect, and perfectly fine, which made him feel a little foolish for always being on edge.

"Give me a second." Jack said, already walking away from the group, approaching the circle of women.

He hated to interrupt the fit of giggles, but he cleared his throat, garnering everyone's attention. "Excuse me ladies. Can I talk to Kate for a second?"

Her face lit up at his presence. She extended her hand and he took it, helping her to rise. "I'll be right back."

"The guys are gonna go out and try to fix the Dharma bus, and I thought I'd go along with them." Jack proposed.

She smiled teasingly. "Come to ask for permission?"

He smirked. "You know it, Boss. So what do you think, you'll be okay here for one night without me?"

"Jack, I'm pregnant, I'm not helpless, even though I haven't seen my feet in ages. I'm not even sure if I still have feet."

He didn't look convinced, or in the least bit amused. He didn't budge from the spot, still staring down at her. She caressed his forearms, his hands resting on her slim hips. He was way too wound up, she thought. He needed this. She had to admit that hanging out with Sun and Claire, talking about their pregnancies and how they overcame the fear of the actual birth was refreshing, and helped her to go along with normal activities, without fear of inducing labor. Claire had survived a plane crash while pregnant, surely she could do more than sit around on her butt all day. She would never admit to Jack that she wanted to go back out into Sun's garden, a project that she'd abandoned for his sake and peace of mind. She just might do something about that.

"Take a joke, stud. I'll be fine, really. Don't worry about anything. You remember what Juliet said during our most recent check-up?"

"Yes, I do. I'll be back first thing tomorrow morning, whether you like it or not. I promise."

"You know I can't wait. Go enjoy yourself, Jack. I'll be fine." On that note, he kissed her, and curved his large hand over her pregnant middle by way of farewell to their unborn child.

Jack hadn't noticed that Sawyer and Charlie had followed him, and were doing just the same, kissing Juliet and Claire goodbye before they ventured out.

The jungle was all too silent, and while it was relaxing, Jack sometimes felt like his body was programmed for a crisis that was never coming, ever again. Even Hurley and Charlie were unusually quiet. It was his guess that they'd debated endlessly about every single superhero match-up possible, and were now bored with each other, or it was just the comfortable silence that two best friends came to rely on.

"Where'd you learn how to fix cars?" Jack asked Sawyer, who was walking in front of him, also quiet, which was unusual for him.

"How do you figure I know how to fix cars?" Sawyer's voice came out more accusing than he intended it to.

Jack shrugged, moving a branch of leaves from his view. "When you said that it'd been awhile since you'd gotten your hands dirty under the hood, I just assumed you knew what you were doing, that you picked up on it somehow."

There was a beat, a pretty long one, before Sawyer decided to elaborate. "My foster dad taught me. He was a mechanic. He'd gone to engineering school when he was a teenager and fell on hard times, so he took a job at a local auto-shop. I'd come home from school every day, neglect my homework, and watch some TV, until he got home from work. He'd take me out to his garage and teach me everything he knew about cars. One time, we remodeled the engine of a 1965 Camaro in one summer. It ran like it was brand new once we were done. He'd take me out in it, even let me ride in the front seat. Before Juliet, it was the only time I ever felt…wanted, like I mattered to someone. He's the only real father I remember having."

Jack opened his mouth to say something, but words failed him. He was never particularly comfortable with being supportive when it came to Sawyer. He'd helped Charlie, Hurley, and Sayid through some pretty emotional stuff, but he and James could never get to that level, there was always this undercurrent of animosity that they could never overcome. Maybe it was because of Kate, he supposed. At one point, the competition for her affections became steep, heated, but that didn't stop him from wanting to at least understand Sawyer, but he never really could.

"He and his wife had problems though. He was an alcoholic and she abused drugs, taking advantage of everything in the medicine cabinet, and goin' after it on the streets if she had to. They'd fought, hit each other. One night, they had this huge fight, I'm standing right there, in the hallway and they're both none the wiser. She took out his hunting rifle, loaded it up, and shot him." He said it with no emotion at all, which was unnerving for Jack, but maybe he'd just gotten over the pain of it a long time ago.

"I'm sorry, James." Was all Jack offered, speechless by the heartbreaking tragedy he'd gone through at such a young age.

"Don't feel sorry for me Jack, feel sorry for him. He was a good man, he didn't deserve to die like that, but that didn't stop it from happenin'." He kept a good pace, walking slow enough to keep up a conversation with Jack, and fast enough so that he didn't lose sight of Hurley and Charlie, who suddenly found their voices. "Now, it's my turn. How'd you get so good at poker? I recall you said something about Phuket, but you didn't seem like you wanted to share any more than that."

Jack shrugged. "It was a pretty dark time in my life and I needed to get away from it all."

There it was again, Sawyer thought, shaking his head. Jack knew how to say just enough, but it was never descriptive, never overtly-expressive, especially when it came to his personal life. His answer wasn't really an answer at all. "Are you always this cryptic, Doc?"

He laughed. "It was after my divorce. I took time off from work, and just chose a country, a city and left. It was the most spontaneous thing I've ever done. I just needed to get away, from all of my failures, family pressures, the questions."

"Is that where you got the tats?"

"Yeah." Jack nodded shortly. "And that's where I picked up my love of poker. I played hard and won big, not that I needed the money. It was just something to do to pass the time."

Sawyer turned to meet Jack's eyes. "I guess you're not gonna tell me what the heck they mean."

Jack laughed lightly. "Nope. Kate doesn't even know."

"You mean to tell me Freckles don't even know what the ink says?" There was more to the Doc afterall, even secrets that Kate has yet to get out of him, Sawyer mused.

"Nope. I take it one day she'll get it out of me, but until then, it's my little secret."

Once the sun started to set, falling into the eastern sky, they stopped and made camp. Jack busied himself with the fire, while Sawyer, Hurley and Charlie unpacked whatever they stashed into their bags. Hurley pulled out a box of graham crackers and Charlie matched it with a bag of marshmallows and a block of chocolate, wrapped in a sheet of silver trimming. Sawyer pulled out a six-pack of Dharma beer. Hurley and Charlie howled their approval, each taking a can and cracking it open while they prepared their s'mores by punching fluffs of marshmallows with the ends of long, skinny twigs.

Sawyer handed one to Jack, who refused. "Oh come on, Doc! This is supposed to be fun. What's the fun in one of us being coherent and clear-headed the whole time?"

"Watching as you steadily become incoherent, slurring your words together and all the other comical perks of being sober among the drunk." Jack said with a giggle.

"It'll take a helluva lot more than a few beers to get me that far, Doc, which is why I'm willing to share." He waved the can, and it fell into Jack's hand. He sighed and opened it.

Before long, the ghost stories ceased to make Jack laugh more than scare him as Hurley and Charlie slept soundly next to the fire. Sawyer was still awake through, snacking on a cooled s'more while looking up at the stars.

"You doin' good, Doc?" Sawyer asked, watching as Jack's face froze into a concentrated, thoughtful glare, the blaze of the fire flickered in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm good." He took a drink from the beer can, scowling at the bitter taste. He hadn't had a beer in ages. Hard liquor was usually his forte, a nice brand of whiskey to be precise. A trait he inherited from Christian, he supposed.

"Why do you think we were never really good friends?" He didn't even know that he had that question in the back of his mind until it was out there in the atmosphere, for Sawyer, who was a little tipsy, but nowhere near the vicinity of drunk, to hear.

Sawyer squawked. "Well damn Doc. Here I was thinkin' that we were."

Jack shrugged, the beer can crunching in his grasp. "You know what I mean, Sawyer. We barely got along and when we did, something would happen to put us at odds again."

Their personalities clashed too often, over everything, whether it was crucial or the most trivial of issues. Jack was always more concerned with the needs of others, while Sawyer tended to his own needs, no matter what those needs might be and who it would hurt to satisfy them. Sometimes, Jack wished that he could be more like Sawyer, a little uncaring, self-serving. Not completely like Sawyer, but bits and pieces here and there. But at the end of the day, Jack knew in some way, shape or form, he could count on Sawyer to pull through.

"I envied you, Jack." It was the first time since leaving the beach that Sawyer called him by his name.

"What? Since when?"

"Ever since we crashed on this rock. People looked up to you, they listened to you. They still do." He cleared his throat. "Kate fell in love with you." From his tone, it was obvious that Sawyer had gotten over his jealousy, especially with regards to Kate's feelings, but deep down, there was still some resentment towards Jack for being so damn selfless all the time. It often made him sick, but it frequently made him aspire to be that way. "I guess that's why I became a cop, so that I could start caring about someone besides myself."

"You loved Kate. You fell in love with Juliet." Jack pointed out.

"Yeah, I loved Kate at one point, but that was a complete waste Jack, and we both know that. Juliet is the reason I wake up in the morning, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about a woman that I'm hot for, or anything that has to do with me. I mean it in the sense of wanting to take care of people, because it's right, not because it feels right for me. You stuck your neck out for me so many times Jack, I can't even count it on one hand it's so many, and I never once did the same for you. If anything, I mocked you about it."

Jack could tell that it really bothered him that he wasn't the most appreciative person on the planet. "James, I did what I did so many times, because it was the right thing to do, and that doesn't come with wanting something done in return. But if it makes you feel any better, what you did for Kate, being there for her when I couldn't be, being a good friend that she could talk to, that she could lean on, that's more than enough payback."

"If you say so, Doc." Sawyer sat up from his reclined position and extended his beer can in Jack's direction. The two cans collided in a toast, to what, Jack wasn't sure, but it seemed like they'd settled something pretty significant here. "I couldn't help but notice the rock on Kate's left hand. You finally make an honest woman out of her behind everyone's back?"

Classic Sawyer, Jack thought with a bright laugh. Never able to filter his thoughts, never too shy to ask even the most personal of questions. "Well, I just put the ring back on her finger; Kate was the one to pronounce us husband and wife." Not that he had a problem with that, he loved being her husband, doing husband-like things for her. It wasn't different from how they were before at all, which made it more special, in a way.

"Freckles really does wear the pants in your relationship." He knew Sawyer was teasing, brutally so, and it was refreshing for him to mock and not feel the burning urge to punch him in the face for it. "I take it you skipped the 'til death do us part' portion of the vows."

"No vows. Just a ring, a silent promise." Much else wasn't really necessary.

"Well, congratulations to you both." Sawyer yawned, his eyes were now closed. He was out like a light.

Jack patted him lightly on the shoulder, whispering. "Goodnight James."

They'd been walking for far too long to not be there already. It was late morning. They'd woken up and started on the trail without much of a break in between. Something felt off to Jack, who again, brought up the rear.

"Hurley? You sure this is the right way?" Jack asked from his position at the back of the group. He didn't recall anything familiar about their surroundings, but then again, every leaf, tree trunk and dangling vine looked the same to him at this point.

"I think so." Hurley stopped, obviously tired and in need of a break.

Charlie took the opportunity to rest as well. He crouched down, wiping his sweaty face on the sleeve of his T-shirt. Something in the near distance caught his eye. "What is that?" He mumbled, almost to himself, but Jack heard him, and looked in the direction that Charlie started to move in, and followed behind him.

Charlie kneeled over, and pushed the tangled shrubs that surrounded the object out of the way. The rusted door was crumpled, dented beyond repair, the filthy window pane was still smeared by dirt and grime, but the single word that was spray-painted against it in standard black, spoke out and clear.

**Q U A R A N T I N E**_._

Charlie looked up at the three sets of eyes that bulged at the discovery. "It's the hatch door."

They heard moderately loud rustling of leaves nearby at this point, and it grew louder and louder until a figure stood in full view, staring them all dead in the face, one by one."It's about time you showed up. I thought you never would." The Scottish burr was just the same as they'd remembered it, but they still couldn't believe he was here.

Jack blinked, and then blinked again, astonished. "Desmond?"

* * *

_**Another cliffhanger of sorts, sorry, but I promise to give some good Jesmond interaction in the next chapter. **_


	17. Author's Note

Hello, readers!

I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, so very much for sticking with this story and with me. I feel like I've been writing this fic forever, and as much as I love it, it's time to move it along. I feed off of reviews, every writer does, whether they admit that to themselves or not. Sadly, this fic doesn't garner as many reviews as it did in the beginning, and that's expected. I appreciate each and every review and having surpassed 100 reviews (which is a milestone for me), it makes me so proud of what I've written here. So, I have two more chapters planned here, and I just might throw in an epilogue for good measure, and then I will finally put this fic to bed, because I don't think that much more can be done with it. I wanted everyone to find each other again in the labyrinth of that incredibly fascinating Island, their resting place, and they have, so, mission accomplished. We have this new addition on the way (JABY! HEHE!), and once that occurs, I shall bid farewell to our afterlife Losties, and say hello to them all over again, because I have another fic in the works, which is very different from anything I have attempted before, still JATE of course and I'm more than excited about getting started on it!

Again, thank you so much. Please anticipate the next few chapters in the coming weeks.

Much love to you all,

Erica


	18. Chapter 18

_**The flashback/memory that I have included for this chapter is from my one-shot entitled, "Time". So if you haven't read it, I highly recommend that you do! Without further adieu…Chapter 18!  
**_

* * *

_His large naked body spooned perfectly around the small curve of her back, butt, and thighs, his arms banded tightly but comfortably around her waist as their sweaty skin cooled under the ceiling fan. They lay in the middle of the large bed, the comforter thrown over one side, pillows scattered everywhere, and the fitted sheet coming out from underneath the mattress on three of its four corners. He placed long, lingering kisses over the back of her neck, her shoulder and her upper arm. _

_She turned in his arms at the same moment that he settled onto his back, folding his arms behind his head. She made herself comfortable over his chest, her upper body lying across his. His hand began to draw comforting circles over her bare back. _

"_Are you ever gonna tell me what's bothering you?" He asked after awhile._

_She knew that was coming. One scrutinizing look from the man and he knew everything or suspected something. She was going to have to tell him sooner or later, she just wished that the news was what she had hoped it would be. _

"_I took a pregnancy test today." She said, staring up at him, gauging his reaction to the first pregnancy test she took since they started trying to get pregnant. _

"_What did it say?" He asked, almost too eagerly, like he was expecting her to reveal something of the sort._

"_Why aren't you surprised?" She asked suspiciously with a side of humor._

"_Your cycle was supposed to start three days ago." He said calmly, but she could hear the excitement mingled with clinical seriousness in his tone._

"_How did you know that?" She exclaimed with a laugh, exasperated and amused at how in tune he was with her emotions and her biological rhythms. Nothing ever got passed him. _

"_I'm a doctor, Kate. It's my job to know these things." He deadpanned, making her laugh._

"_That's your excuse for everything, you know." She smiled. _

"_So, you didn't answer my question. What did the pregnancy test say?" He asked._

_The amusement and sparkle fell from her eyes, her smile fading, turning into an inconsolable frown. _

"_It was…negative." She said as a tear escaped, leaving a shiny trail down her cheek. "I'm not pregnant."_

_He saw how completely devastated she was, her lips curved downward, emphasizing her disappointment. She looked like she wanted to burst into tears, but withheld them for some reason. He wiped her tears away and wrapped his arms around her. She could feel his sadness in the simple, comforting, strong way he held her, his hands moving soothingly over her back and his fingers combing through her curls, as if he was trying to soak up all of her sorrow, so that she didn't have to be burdened with it. It was just like him to do something like that, and she felt it in every part of her, that it was the only thing he wanted to do._

"_So, you were just letting me down easy with the sex, huh?" He joked._

"_Yeah, I guess so." She said sadly. "Did it work?"_

"_Sex with you always works, but I wish you would have just come out and told me when I got home." He said. _

"_I knew you'd had a rough day and I didn't want to make it worse with more bad news, and to be honest, I just needed to be with you, bad news or not. Or do you not notice that whenever I jump your bones when you walk through the front door after being gone all day?" She teased with a smile. _

"_Oh, I definitely notice. I just knew that there was something that happened between this morning and now that you didn't want to talk about. You were sitting on the couch, like you had something that you wanted to tell me." He pointed out._

"_Was I that obvious?" She groaned. _

"_No, but I have this cosmic way of reading the mysterious Kate Austen that no one else seems to possess." He teased. _

"_I was just so sure that I was pregnant. I haven't had much of an appetite. I almost fainted when I was cooking dinner yesterday…" She rambled. _

"_You know what I think? I think you're stressing yourself out over conceiving, that these common symptoms of anxiety are being interpreted as signs of pregnancy." He explained._

"_How can you be more in sync with my body than I am?" She huffed._

"_Because I love this body like no other and I can't wait to see it full and round with our baby." He said lovingly, his large palm placed over her stomach, the other swatting her lightly on her butt. _

"_And by full, you mean fat." She laughed, completely in awe of him speaking in the future tense about their baby, already in love with him or her when they hadn't even conceived it yet. _

"_No, I mean, healthy. Happy and healthy. It's gonna happen, Kate. You just need to let it happen." _

_She nodded, but he still saw the disappointment in the gesture. _

"_Give yourself some time. Stop stressing about it, and stop worrying about disappointing me. I have everything I want right here." He said, toying with the ends of her long curls. _

"_Everything?" She asked. _

"_Yes. You and Aaron are everything I could possibly want and need. Seeing all of that death and destruction at work today, and to walk through the front door and know that you and Aaron are safe and healthy, I can't complain or be disappointed in the least." He reassured her._

_He cupped her face in his hands, wiping at the tears that fell from her eyes, moonlight cascading over the flushed skin of her cheeks. _

"_Time." He emphasized, erasing all of her worries and fears with one simple word that was all the confidence she could ever ask of him._

* * *

Kate stirred from sleep with a smile, yawning loudly. It was the first time in awhile that she'd woken up without the comfortable weight of his arm wrapped securely around her and the light breeze of his breath across her cheek. Her subconscious made up for what she was lacking in reality. The memory she'd just dreamed of was so dear to her heart. She'd wanted to badly to be pregnant, wanted so terribly to bring him good news once he returned home, that it almost felt like she was willing the symptoms of pregnancy just to make herself feel like the test was wrong. When she actually got pregnant, everything was in disarray, and he wasn't there to give the news to. Funny how things worked out, because this time around, he was the one who found out before she even realized, and told her, calmly and carefully ambushing her with the news, information that she couldn't take in the true form he'd delivered it, not until he made it comfortable enough to do so.

She brought her hand down to her extremely pregnant abdomen. "Good morning." She said to her baby. She felt him kick against her in reply. Time, Jack said, and she'd had her fill of that, without him and without the child they'd tried to create together, and it was the emptiest she'd ever felt. There was only here, and now, that was all they had left, and that was all they needed.

She left their tent with a bag slung over her shoulder, determined to venture out into the jungle. She'd been glad that the beach was deserted, so that no one questioned her, or tried to stop her. She knew that someone was around, but she wasn't sure where. She thought she remembered Shannon saying something about golf and offering for everyone to come join her, because she'd been tired of the boys hogging the course. She never knew Shannon to be the athletic type. She certainly had the height for it, through.

"Kate!" She heard her name being called and froze, like an unruly teenage who'd just been caught sneaking out of her bedroom window to meet the boyfriend she'd been forbidden to see.

She turned and watched as Boone walked toward her, shirtless and dripping wet from head to toe. "Oh, hey Boone. How was your swim?"

He brought a towel to his face, wiping at his eyes. "It was awesome. The water is always great this time of day. Sorry if I startled you, I thought I'd check up on you, see if you were okay."

His concern meant a lot to her. They were very easily becoming good friends before he died. He was the first of the group to pass and everyone took it really hard, especially Jack, and she knew just why. He was a really great guy, and he'd died trying to save them. "I'm good. I just needed to get a little fresh air. The little one and I are in great need of a change of scenery."

Boone raised a suspicious eyebrow at the brunette. "You sure it's okay for you to be walking around in the jungle in your condition?"

She groaned impatiently under her breath. "Yeah, I'm sure it's fine. Plus, I won't be gone for long. I just needed to tend to something that I haven't been able to for awhile. Now that Jack isn't around to keep me grounded to the beach, I can finally get to it."

"Well, as long as you're good, I guess I should get out of your way."

* * *

"Desmond!" Hurley bellowed, reaching for the Scotsman and pulling him into a gigantic bear hug, one that took his feet from the ground. Desmond straggled for air once Hurley let him loose. He greeted Charlie, who was in the same cheerful mood, hugging Desmond as the old friend he was. Jack and Sawyer lagged a bit in their responses, still standing shell-shocked in the near distance.

"I guess it's good that someone's happy to see me." Desmond joked, looking at Jack dead-on, the surprise never leaving his dark eyes. Why would he be surprised anyways? Desmond was there, with all of them, in the church, but it didn't stop him from feeling like he wasn't here for long, like he was just passing through, as he always seemed to be, a part of the group, but not a permanent fixture.

"Hey Des. Good to see you." Sawyer greeted him, offering a sturdy handshake and a pat on the shoulder that Desmond took in kind.

"Jack." Desmond cautiously drawled out the syllable, hoping that it would rouse Jack out of the stunned state he fell into.

He shook his head, as if releasing the cobwebs that had collected there since Desmond walked out from behind the leaves. "Hey," the word came out on a chocked breath, so he tried again, "Hey Desmond."

They shared a hug, one that was depths more meaningful than the others. Jack pulled back first, with a question no doubt. "What are you doing out here?"

"Thought I'd take in the sights, plus, an old friend told me I should stop by once in awhile, pay a visit." Sawyer and Charlie looked confused, but Jack knew just who Desmond was referring to.

"You knew?" Jack turned to Hurley, who looked guilty as sin.

"Yeah, but I didn't know he'd be here so soon."

"Didn't know you'd be out in the jungle either. What'd you find there?" Desmond turned to where all of their attention was moments before he arrived.

"Well, we found the hatch door, but I take it that it the only thing left of the actual hatch is the ditch that it created once it blew to the sky. Right?" Sawyer asked.

Desmond smiled, and not just any smile, but that secretive, knowing, smug smile that Jack recognized. If he were a betting man, he'd say, just from Desmond's disposition, that the hatch was somewhere nearby and completely intact. "Well, lets go find out, shall we?"

After a short trek, that Desmond led, they arrived to the ground-level airlock entrance of the original hatch. It was there, in all its dominating glory. Sawyer's eyes roamed the familiar wall of the entrance, his mouth agape. "Son of a bitch."

Desmond opened the steel door, and ushered everyone inside. It was just as Jack remembered it. The living space, the kitchen, the bookshelf off to the side, brimming with literary masterpieces that were sure to make the time go by if he'd ever had time to sit down and actually enjoy the comfort of a good book, which he never did. The record player, the old, industrial treadmill. He recalled his last moments here as well, the harrowing devastation when he found Ana Lucia and Libby's corpses.

Hurley plopped down on one of the sofas, content to just sit there for awhile. Sawyer plopped down across from him, in the same tired, listless fashion. They shared a smile. Charlie took in his fill of the place, looking at some of the old records he once admired, swiping his hand over the cover of one of the large vinyls, careful with putting it back in its place. His eyes roved over the panel of framed photos. He came across the picture of Desmond and Penny, obviously happy and in love, their smiles bright and flowing. Then he came across a picture of a young boy, curly hair, cute smile, hints of Desmond and Penny's features all over his little chubby face.

"Who's this?" Charlie asked.

Desmond's eyes shone bright with unbridled love. "Ah. That's my son."

"You have a son? Cool. What's his name?"

His eyes softened, he never thought this moment would come, but here it was. "His name is Charlie." He caught the surprise in Charlie's eyes when they bulged at the revelation, his face stuck in amazement. To say that he was visibly touched was an understatement.

"Y—You named him after me?" Desmond nodded in the affirmative, watching as shards of tears pricked at Charlie's eyes. "Wow. I've never had anyone named after me before." He was stunned into silence, and then he tried to speak again. "I don't know what to say. I—"

"It was Penny's idea. I'd told her all about you, about what you did, how you died. She insisted that our son bear the name of her hero." Desmond patted Charlie's shoulder and walked off, leaving him to take in the significance of what his last moments meant to the couple. He smiled and picked up the photo of the child to get a better view.

Jack came to the threshold of the other room that the hatch held, that contained its primary function. 'The Swan' is what he remembered Desmond calling it, one of many Dharma stations scattered all over the Island. The intricate equipment was still where he remembered it to be. He came across the computer, the screen completely caked with dust, and played with the buttons of the keyboard. The button that haunted him from the second Locke urged him to push it was still old and worn from the many times Desmond had to press it. 'Every 108 minutes' he'd said, for three years, he didn't even know why he was doing it. Jack remembered being infuriated by it, how Desmond could do what he did for so long and have no foundation as to why he was doing it. Jack chuckled at the irony. He had become that very person; he came back to the Island, with no valid reason whatsoever, in search of something that steadily escaped him. He blew a hydrogen bomb, hoping that the desired effect of time travel met him on the other side. He'd done far crazier things than push a button.

"Crazy isn't it?" Desmond spoke up, watching as Jack explored the station. "Three years of my life was spent in this room and I can't say that I'd wish for any of it back."

Jack nodded his understanding. "It reminds me of Locke. The time he spent in here, the time I spent avoiding it."

"Believe me, I didn't want the job either, I guess that's why I ran off as soon as you showed up. It was forced upon me, but I dealt with it, took it day by day, missing Penny so much it hurt to look at even a photo of her. What I was doing here was more important than I realized, more important than what I wanted for myself."

"I suppose that's the pull of the Island. To get us to surrender to the things we can't change, and accept the reason for it, what it all meant, even if we spent so much time fighting it." Jack confessed.

"But it got us in the end." Desmond walked towards the desk, watching as Jack straightened, with a smile.

"Yeah, it did."

"So it worked." Desmond was the only other person who knew the gravity of what he'd just said. "At least that's what Hurley told me when he got me off the Island."

"Yeah, it worked." Jack confirmed.

"I still wish it were me, and not you." Desmond admitted with the gravest tone in his voice, thickening his accent.

Jack lowered his head, brought a hand through his hair. "You had a wife and a son to get home to. Me? I…I didn't have anything to lose; at least that's what I thought at the time."

Desmond was shocked that Jack had ever thought that way, after what he saw of Kate's undying love for him. "I watched Kate on that trek towards the heart of the Island; she couldn't take her eyes off of ya, brotha. She didn't look like a woman who had given up the fight." He saw the speck of sadness in Jack's eyes; he still struggled with having to deny her.

"I went to see her once, when I was visiting L.A., a year or so after I left the Island. I took Penny and Charlie with me. She was in the backyard of her house, sitting at a table on her patio, watching Aaron play around in the backyard. She looked happy, not the type of happiness that you brought her, not by any means, but happy nonetheless. She reminds me of my Penny, strong, resilient, but it was obvious she missed you more than anything."

On impact, he didn't understand what she meant when she said, 'I've missed you so much', but the people who surrounded her, Claire, Sawyer, and now Desmond, knew the gravity of what the Island took away from her, what he now knew and what he could now make up to her. "We talked about you the entire time. I never knew you didn't tell her how we met."

Jack explained himself, his smile playful. "I have to admit, climbing into some secret hatch on a mysterious Island in the South Pacific and coming across the stranger I bumped into years before pressing a button, screaming at the top of his lungs that we were all gonna die if that button wasn't pushed every hour and forty-eight minutes was just a little too much for me to tell anyone."

Desmond let go of a raucous laugh. "Touché."

Jack scratched at the stubble on his cheek, his eyes swimming with curiosity. "You knew the entire time didn't you?" Desmond raised his eyebrows in question. "About the place before we got here. You knew, and you told me about it, right before The Smoke Monster and I lowered you into the light. I couldn't listen to you, because what I had done, what I had become, became so intimately linked to this Island, that I couldn't see much else for myself beyond that."

Desmond smiled, "I thought what you were doing was pointless, but it seemed like you had a better grasp on the situation than I ever did."

"No, no. I'd just lost hope, that's all. In everything, in this place you were talking about, in ever being happy again and I am. I really am. I guess we were both right and wrong in our own ways."

"I suppose I was right sticking my nose into your romantic affairs. It was a mighty interesting mornin', gettin' one Ms. Austen to even consider wearing that little black strapless number. She didn't care of my style at all. The heels, well, she fought me tooth and nail on those too."

"Wait a minute, you brought Kate to the concert?" Jack asked once the giggle that sat on his lungs bubbled to the surface.

"Well, yeah. I had to get her to you and Claire somehow. She was pretty dubious about the entire thing, wouldn't shut up, had a question ever two shakes, but once she held Aaron in her arms and passed him to his mother, she knew. Then I sent her your way. I take it she made quite the impression."

Jack's mind's eye flooded with images of Kate in that scanty, silk dress, as dark as the hair that flowed over her bare shoulders. It hugged her in all the right places, making him do a double-take, because he couldn't believe that she was actually talking to him. He'd been approached by plenty of beautiful women, and as a single man, he was free to take them up on their offers. If he hadn't been there in search of his son, he would have spent the rest of the night and more with her, it the first thing that popped into his head when he got a full look of her. Even as a complete stranger to him, she still triggered every one of his sexual urges. "You have no idea."

"I met your son, David. He seemed like a great kid."

"Yeah, he was." A proud gleam came over Jack's eyes, with pieces of sadness streaming through. He'd never see him again. Then he remembered, all he had to do was look at Kate's heart-shaped face and there he was.

"I have to admit, he looked more like Kate than you." Desmond laughed, reading Jack's mind.

"Speaking of Kate, she's on the beach right now. We're expecting our first child any day now."

"Congratulations Jack. That's wonderful news."

On that note, Hurley, Charlie and Sawyer had entered where Jack and Desmond stood. He looked around once more, before he reacted to something that no one else could see or hear. "Well, that's my cue. Gotta get back to the Misses. She longs for me already."

"Already? You should come with us dude. Everyone on the beach would love to see you." Hurley pleaded, not ready to say goodbye. That was Hurley for you, always ready and willing to add to their growing family, but Desmond was family, whether he wanted to be or not, regardless of where he had moved on to, which obviously wasn't the Island.

"I wish I could Hugo, but Penny calls, and I oughta get back to her. You'll offer my apologies." He said his goodbyes regretfully and finally came back to Jack, who already had his hand out for Desmond to shake.

"Seeing you in another life was pretty fun, Jack. I'll see to it that I visit plenty more. I'll bring Penny and Charlie on my next visit, so that we can meet your little one."

"I'm counting on it." Jack shook his hand strongly.

* * *

Kate's fingers dug into the soil with purpose and practiced ease. She knew every dent in the earth that she was pulling and massaging to and fro. She was kneeling in the middle of the garden, getting rid of debris that the wind swept towards it and tidying up some of the plants that had toppled over in her and Sun's absence. It was a great test in patience, this garden, and it provided the perfect dosage of calm. She bent over to pick at a small weed that had crept up by one of the pea leaves, and scowled when she felt the kick of all kicks.

"Ow." She groaned. She brought her hand to the apex of her mound and then moved it downward, massaging it pensively.

"Wow, you sure are on edge today, bud. What's goin' on?" Something wasn't right. He was always moving around when she wasn't, somehow gauging his mother's activity to pattern his own, but this was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. He was downright frantic in there, and she found it hard to concentrate on much else, but she tried, tending to the fragile guava stems that started to bloom. Jack would be proud of how they're holding up.

The silent gush came in a flash, catching her off guard, soaking the sole of her flowing garment. Her eyes bulged in bewilderment. Her water broke. She was sure of it, and she hadn't told a soul where she'd ran off to. Nice one Kate, really nice, she thought to herself. "No, not now. Please." She begged, pleaded. The very first contraction came moments later, and she cried out against it, its power blasting through her midsection and lower. She got to her knees, and tried to crawl in the direction of the beach, but faltered, the pain locking her legs together in an attempt to keep the baby inside of her. She wasn't going to lose this baby again, not again. Never again, she chanted to herself, her thoughts wired on that pressing thought.

She heard footsteps approaching, the crunch of grass under someone's feet. She prayed that they were Jack's, that he had arrived on the beach some time after she left and came here to look for her, like he had the morning he found her scavenging for seeds. He always knew where to find her. He would know what to do; he would know just what to say to calm her down. She needed him here, she needed him now. Juliet, who was accompanied by Libby, revealed herself as they stepped from the high grass, reaching the barrier of the garden. Juliet saw the panic and pain in Kate's eyes the second she laid her own eyes upon her. She kneeled next to her.

"Kate. What happened?" Juliet asked, even though she had a pretty good idea.

Devastated tears fell to Kate's reddened cheeks. "My…my water broke. I've been trying to stand…"

"No, no, you can't stand yet, not until I get a good idea of how far apart your contractions are." Juliet took Kate's pulse; the erratic rhythm reeked of panic. Kate was panicked, frazzled and completely desperate. Another contraction rippled through her. They were closer together than Juliet realized. They had to get moving. She needed to get Kate someplace where she could have this baby. The beach was too far away, that she knew. The caves, she thought. They had to be cool, somewhat insulated, nearby. They were perfect. "Kate? How far are the caves from here?"

"Uhh, they're not far, they're less than a mile that way." She pointed, and groaned in pain as another contraction hit. "You have to get Jack. I can't…I can't do this without him…I—" She swallowed hard, her breaths coming out in short pants instead of the skilled spurts and sputters that Sun and Claire told her they'd learned in their Lamaze classes. The only thing, person, idea that Kate could possibly think of was Jack.

"You have to get Jack." She growled through gritted teeth, her tears burning her vision.

Juliet turned her attention to Libby, who stood off to the side, unsure of how to help. "Libby, I need for you to get to the beach. Find as many dry cloths, sheets, towels, as you possibly can and bring them to the caves. Oh, Boone, Jin or Sayid, whoever you get to first, tell them to go out and find Jack as fast as they can…" She took a deep breath on this last bit of information, because the time had finally come. It was happening.

"…Kate is in labor."


	19. Chapter 19

_**I'm so proud of this and I'm so grateful for each and every person who read this, and who took the time to talk to me through your reviews. You are love. This is for you. **_

* * *

Libby ran with the wind in her sails, bursting onto the beach and immediately searched for the supplies that Juliet demanded. Her arms were full of tattered cloth that no one felt useful. Shannon, Claire, Sun and Boone were standing in a huddle, talking, laughing. Boone turned and saw Libby's hasty movements. She was in a hurry, a panicked hurry, he could tell. He broke out into a sprint, his voice worried.

"Libby!" She turned at the sound of her name. "What's goin' on? Where's Juliet?" Boone was already by her side.

Libby continued to gather towels in her arms as she spoke. "It's Kate. She's in labor. Juliet is taking her to the caves." Boone's panic spiked. He'd just seen Kate an hour or so ago, and she looked fine, very pregnant, but fine. Something inside of him told him to stop her, but she had that determined crease in her brow, and he didn't dare think to cross her, so he'd moved out of her way.

Claire overheard Libby's admission, approaching. "Did you say Kate's in labor?"

Boone looked down at the sand and then back to Libby, startled. "I don't have time to explain. I have to get these to Juliet." Libby looked Boone square in the eyes, hers round and excited, but worried. "Boone, Jack…"

"I know. I'm on it." Before he'd finished his thought, Boone sprinted off in the direction of the treeline faster than a speeding bullet, disappearing among the shrub.

Libby had gathered as much as she could carry and started towards the jungle. Claire and Sun, with their small children in tow, and Shannon, followed close behind.

* * *

Juliet and Kate had reached the cool, shaded confines of the caves after a slow, laborious trek, with Juliet taking the brunt of the distance from the garden, propping Kate against her the entire way. Juliet urged Kate to sit down while she organized the blankets and cushions into a small palate for the delivery, because sooner or later, she would have to push. She just prayed that Jack wasn't late to the party, because she had a feeling that she would have to fight with Kate until he arrived. She groaned then, her tortured shrieks echoing through the caves, and ricocheting off the sprinkles of the waterfall. Another contraction and they were only getting worse. Kate keeled over, holding her hands to her round middle. Juliet ran to steady her.

"Kate, I need to get you over to the ground, so that I can take a look. Can you walk?"

"I can't." She cried. She was in so much pain, but she was also stubborn. "It can't be time. Not yet."

Juliet huffed, tired, frustrated, but gentle and soothing. "Kate, don't do this to me, okay? I need to look, to see how far you're dilated. Your contractions are getting closer and closer together, and soon, you'll have to push."

"Jack….he—he can't—" She could barely form a coherent sentence.

"I sent Libby to the beach, to get some things for me. I told her to send someone out for Jack. He said he'd be back today, right?"

Kate nodded gravely, finally meeting the icy cerulean of Juliet's eyes. They looked so cold, but warm all the same. "Yeah."

"I'm sure he's on his way. When is Jack ever late?" Juliet joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Amusement cracked through the sweaty, reddened features of Kate's face. "Sometimes he is, but he doesn't mean to be." She recalled the many times she'd drifted off to sleep in her restless fight to wait up for him. The next time she opened her eyes, she'd been in bed, under the covers, right next to him. He obviously carried her from the couch to her side of the bed without waking her. She'd greet him with a small 'Hey', and he'd kiss her lips, urging her to go back to sleep.

Juliet took Kate's arm and brought it around her neck and shoulders. "We have to get over to that mat. It's just a few steps, and then you can finally rest and let nature take its course. You want to finally rest, don't you?" She nodded tiredly, the heavy river of long curls about her head a frizzled mess. She stood, leaning into Juliet far more than she thought she would. Her feet felt like they were made of lead, rock-hard lead, and it took everything inside of her to make the five steps towards the middle of the caves, but she'd made it. Collapsing lightly onto the cushions with Juliet's assistance, Kate moaned through another contraction, her hands balling up into tight fists, taking the fabric of the blanket underneath with them. Juliet helped her get comfortable and finally sat at her feet. She pried her legs apart, bent them at her knees and took a long, scrutinizing study of her condition.

"Okay, Kate, we're not there yet, so don't worry. Just focus on breathing, concentrate on getting through the contractions. I'll be right back." Juliet instructed. She rose and moved towards the waterfall. She felt queasy; her stomach was churning like crazy, and she felt the sudden need to release its contents. Yes, throw up, all over herself, that's how strong the sensation mounted. She didn't have time to think about herself, Kate was about to have this baby, whether her stomach settled itself or not.

Libby finally made it to the caves, sweaty and out of breath, but she'd made it, and not a second was sparred. She walked towards the opening and noticed that Claire was right behind her, intent on entering. Libby turned to stop her. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"That's my sister in there. I have to be with her. What if —?" Claire protested.

"Claire. She's fine. Juliet is a doctor, she's trained for this. Nothing bad is gonna happen. But I'll let Kate know that you're here, okay?"

Claire nodded, watching as Libby stepped through the opening, disappearing from view. She found Kate lying comfortably in the middle of the caves, her eyes closed, her breathing far more concentrated than the last time she saw her. She walked towards Juliet, who dipped her hands into the small pond of water, and laid them upon her face. "Thanks." Juliet said once Libby released the bundle. She took a towel and dried her hands and face.

"Are you okay?" Libby asked. Juliet's face was paler than usual, and she looked like she could hurl right into the water that pooled at her hands.

Juliet nodded, wobbly, defiant. "I'm fine."

Libby looked over in Kate's direction. "How is she?"

"She's exactly where she should be, right now. She's dilated five, which means we're approaching the home stretch. Did you send someone out for Jack?"

"Yeah, I sent Boone. He left as soon as I told him what happened. Claire, Sun and Shannon are outside." Libby could see the hope depleting in Juliet's eyes. "You don't think Jack will make it, do you?"

"It's not a point of 'will', Libby. He _has_ to."

* * *

"You told him stories about me, yeah?" Charlie poked, probing Hurley for information as they trekked back to the beach, at Jack's recommendation. Ever since he found out about Desmond and Penny's son, Charlie wanted to learn all about him and know what he'd learned of him, and since Hurley admitted to visiting Desmond a number of times, and spending countless hours with the child, he was bound to have shared something with him.

"Oh yeah, he knows all about you, dude." Hurley admitted.

"What kind of stuff did you tell him? Did you tell him about that time I shot down Ethan Rom?" Charlie boasted.

Hurley bit his bottom-lip, his eyes glinted guiltily. "Uhhh. No. I forgot to mention that one."

Charlie's face fell, and then recovered. "Okay, well what about the church that I was building? All by myself, once Eko decided that he didn't want to help."

"I forgot about that one too…"

"Well, what'd the bloody hell did you tell him about me?" Charlie asked, exaggerating his edginess.

"Oh, just…stuff. Like that one time, when we tried to spear the fish, and you fell in, scaring them all off." Against his better judgment, Hurley bellowed in laughter.

"So, you shared my most prized embarrassments. Nice. Really nice. How wonderful for you."

"I'm sorry dude. I had to get the kid to laugh somehow." He apologized, unable to stop his laughter. Charlie lightened up and brought his arm around Hurley's neck, and playfully pulled.

Sawyer looked back at Jack, who looked far more relaxed than he had been in a long time. "Weird, huh?"

"What's that?" Jack asked.

"Seeing the hatch completely intact. Everything about it was just as I remembered it. Isn't that a little weird to you?"

"No. I don't think it's weird at all. I think everything about this place is how we remembered it. That's how it's supposed to be."

"Well, look at your Doc, all full of high-falutin' insight. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you look like you ain't got a care in the world."

"I have to admit, this was good. Hanging out with you guys, taking a break from being so on edge about Kate and the baby. Everything will be fine."

"Well, that mindset ain't last long if you ask me. Didn't you just botch our plans to fix up the bus because you want to go back to get on Freckles' nerves?"

"Yeah, I did. That detour with Desmond put us behind. I promised Kate that I'd be back today. I don't like to keep her waiting."

"Of course you don't." Sawyer responded. Actually, he can't blame Jack for being eager to get back to Kate. He had thought about Juliet for most of the time they spent away from the beach, and couldn't wait to sit down with her and dive into what his mind had been racing about for awhile.

"Juliet might be pregnant." That stopped Jack dead in his tracks.

He looked at Sawyer, who had stopped as well. "What?"

"Yeah. We talked about giving it a try the night Ji-Yeon was born. You should have seen her face, Doc. It's the only thing she's ever wanted, a baby, and I gotta give it to her. So we've been trying, and I'm pretty sure she is. I ain't one-hundred percent sure like you were with Freckles, but I'm sure enough."

"Do you want another baby? Do you want to be a father…again?" It sounded to Jack like Sawyer wanted to make Juliet a mother, but wasn't factoring himself into the decision at all. It showed him how much he had grown, but it also revealed how he still felt about fatherhood.

After beats of silence, Sawyer suddenly spoke. "Yeah. I do. I wasn't ready when Clementine was born. I wasn't prepared for that kind of responsibility. I regret missing so much of her life, and if I had the chance to do it right, to be there from the beginning, I would."

In that instant, Jack heard someone approaching, fast, his attention turned from Sawyer to the sudden bustling of branches nearby. How many times can this happen? Jack thought to himself. Sawyer finally caught the sounds that grabbed at Jack's attention.

"Oh hell, not again." Sawyer groaned as he braced himself for another blast from the past. The source of the sound was soon revealed. Boone came crashing through the leaves, nearly tripping over his own two feet. He looked like he'd been running without much of a break for awhile, a long while. His eyes swam until they found the russet brown of Jack's. He moved towards him, a small grateful smile on his face. He didn't know how he knew which direction to go, but he found him.

He was breathless, and took a second to catch the wind, kneeling onto his bent knees. "Jack—"

"What? What is it?" Jack demanded.

Everything inside of him knew what Boone had run so far to announce. Kate. She was in labor. She was calling out for him. He didn't know how he knew, he just did. He had to go. Before Boone could get his bearings, Jack was gone.

* * *

Kate's legs were now draped with a small blanket. She looked down towards her feet, but couldn't see much of anything. Juliet finally appeared, her face bright and promising, gleaming with sweat of her own. "We're doing good, Kate. Really good. Just keep breathing through it. You're doing so great. Everyone is outside pulling for you. We're all behind you." They'd been at it for an hour now, and Juliet knew that Kate had to be completely worn-out, but she has an extremely difficult task ahead of her.

"Jack…" She sighed. She was so exhausted, she could barely keep her head up to look into Juliet's eyes, so she lied back down, letting another contraction burst through her.

"Still no sign of him, but I'm sure Boone will find him. There's no way he's missing this."

Jack approached the cave opening on legs that were wobbly from fatigue, throbbing from the extent that he pushed himself. His chest pushed up and down against his lungs, his body supplying his need of oxygen, because once he received word about Kate, he stopped breathing entirely. He ran straight into Claire, Sun, Jin, Shannon, Sayid, Rose, Bernard and Libby, who all sat in a quiet vigil. They all looked so excited, which should have made him feel better, but it didn't. He was scared out of his mind. The churning of acid in his gut ran hot, like it was going to eat him alive. Rose was the first to move. She approached Jack, who was itching to enter, but so incredibly scared to do so. Rose's small hand filled Jack's palm. He looked down at her through his tears.

"She's okay Jack. She's been asking for you." She cupped his cheeks in her hands. "Now you go in there and you be strong. She'll need for you to be strong. Can you do that?"

The tears fell down his cheeks, and a smile broke out on his lips. "Yes, ma'am."

He entered the caves slowly at first, then he caught sight of Kate, suffering through another contraction, with Juliet at the bend of her knees, waiting for the moment when it was time to push. More tears breached the barrier of his control, until they spilled down his cheeks again. He wiped them away, and went to her, his legs moving automatically before his mind could catch up.

Juliet saw him first, and didn't think to announce his arrival. She simply nodded with a smile, still observing the slow progress of dilation. She was almost there, Jack could feel it. He bent down next to her, and took her hand, that small fist. He unraveled her fingers and fit her palm against his, his long fingers wrapped around her entire hand. She immediately opened her eyes and turned to him, watching his handsome face fall towards hers, his lips landing on hers. She opened up to his kiss, the sweet pressure of his lips, and the warmth of his tongue against hers made her shiver. He'd only been gone a single day and she'd missed him like he'd been away for millions more.

"Jack…" She said in such a dream-like state, he smiled. "You're here." He wasn't sure if her semi-lucidity was because of the kiss, or the hormones raging through her like wildfire. He was pretty sure it was both.

He brushed a curtain of curls from the side of her sweaty, beautiful face, out of habit more than anything. "Of course I am. Where else would I be?"

She started blubbering, tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry Jack. I thought it would be okay to go to the garden. I didn't mean to hurt the baby, I just—"

He brought a finger to her lips. "I know, baby. I know. It's okay. I was an idiot to think that you could stay still for very long." His tone was playful, with a smidge of disapproval. "You didn't hurt the baby. He's just ready to come out, that's all." He laid a kiss to her forehead, and wiped the tears from her cheeks. He took a damp wash cloth from nearby and dabbed it over her face. She smiled appreciably.

"Juliet." Jack said in a questioning tone. She recognized it; he wanted to know what was going on, how much further they had until she could push.

"We're almost there, Jack. Just keep talking to her." Juliet instructed.

Jack combed his brain for a topic that might hold Kate's attention. "We ran into Desmond, in the jungle."

Her eyes bulged. "You did?"

"Yeah, I did. He told me that he was behind that black dress you were wearing at the concert. I didn't think that was a choice my Kate would have made."

She laughed freely. "I hated it at first, but I'll never forget the look on your face when you saw me in it. I've never felt sexier. I need to thank Desmond the next time he stops by."

"I'm pretty sure I thanked him enough for the both of us." He laughed, his smile faded from his face when she winced in pain, her hand gripping his. A contraction, a strong one. He lightly urged her to sit up; his entire body now hugged hers from behind, her back smashed into his chest, her forehead scratched by the stubble on his cheek. She gripped the jean material that covered his knee, her other hand still gripped his in a vice stronger than it ever was before. She was close. He massaged her swollen abdomen with his free hand, in an attempt to soothe his unborn son. He must be pretty scared too, Jack thought. Kate breathed through the contraction, harboring all of her weight into Jack, who held her upright. She was calmer now that he'd finally arrived, more certain than she was before that she could do this, that everything would be okay.

"Jack. We're dilated ten. It's time." Juliet said, straightening and settling herself into position.

Jack moved Kate completely into him, and helped her get in the position to push. "Baby, it's time to push. I want you to remember to breathe, okay? And I'm right here, just hold onto me."

"I love you." Was all she said as she bore down against him, intent on pushing as hard as she could.

"I love _you_." Both of his hands covered both of hers now, as she braced herself for Juliet's directions.

Juliet shifted the blanket that covered her legs. "Okay, Kate, I need for you to give me one big push, alright?" She ordered. "When I say push, you push. Okay, Kate, PUSH!"

Kate growled through her attempt to push as hard as she possibly could, her face contorted in concentration, reddened with determination. She could feel Jack tensing up behind her, his chest flattened as he willed her forward, her rock, her anchor. After she'd given all she had in the moment, she bottomed out; every muscle in her body went lax, burning hot. She continued to breathe raggedly, but with control.

Juliet smiled. "That was great, Kate. That was perfect. The head is clear. This next push is the hardest one, but I know you can do it."

Kate looked like she could barely keep her head upright on her own. If not for the steely broadness of Jack's chest, the strength of his arms, and the gentle pressure of his hands around hers, she wouldn't have been able to shake her head, as stubborn as she's always been. She gritted her teeth, scrunched the features of her face, her grunts forceful, her scream voluminous. She tensed again, pushing through her exhaustion. Juliet helped ease his shoulders out, and then the rest of him flowed through easily. She cleared his mouth with the fast swipe of her finger; his miserable cries came soon after, filling Jack and Kate with breathless relief.

Juliet revealed the vernix-covered infant to his teary parents. He was gorgeous, a head full of dark hair, good coloring and he wasn't shy with his cries, wailing proudly, lustily, his little fists circling through the air. She tended to the umbilical cord, wrapped him up in a wool blanket and handed him to Kate. "If you don't know already, it's a boy." She said with a laugh, as she moved back down, tending to the afterbirth.

Jack and Kate stared amazed at this new life they created together. Jack was so choked up with emotion, he could barely breathe, let alone speak. Kate could feel his happiness soaking through her; she hoped that hers did the same.

"Hey you," she spoke, her voice raspy, "it's so good to finally meet you." She looked up at Jack, the emotion overflowed from his eyes again. He leaned down, crashing his lips to hers. His arms not only embraced Kate at this point, but their child as well, their son. He was a father. The moment he saw him, he couldn't imagine a day going by without him, and he never had to.

"God, Kate, you did it." He said, completely amazed, in awe, emotion still wrangled his throat, making it hard to speak.

She let her lips cover his again, and again. "No Jack. _We_ did it."

Juliet walked out of the caves to greet the sea of concerned, expectant faces. Sawyer went to take her hand in his, his eyes pleading for news. She squeezed his hand, with a tearful smile. "He's here. He's finally here." Before she could take in their responses, Sawyer dragged her into a hug, his boisterous laugh hung in the air.

"You're amazin'! It never fails, does it?"

"I guess not." She watched the group over Sawyer's shoulder. The smiles, the handshakes, the hugs, the happiness. This wasn't just a group of people strung together by a plane crash of years past, this was a family, Juliet thought, a family she wasn't apart of at first, but she was grateful that she was now.

She settled into the strong comfort of James' arms and wanted more than anything to tell him that she was pretty sure she was pregnant, but she didn't want to take away from Jack and Kate's moment, so she continued to hug him without a word, and continued to watch their family beam with pride.

* * *

Nightfall crept over the sky, crickets chirped in the darkness, signally the hush of their surroundings. Jack watched Kate as she slept nearby, the firelight incandescent against her ivory complexion. He had to literally pry their son away from her to get her to do so, but the sight of her resting was a welcomed one. She'd been through so much, and still she endured. She was absolutely remarkable, otherworldly. The love of his life, the bearer of his ring, the mother of his child, the air in his lungs. She was everything. Pure and simple.

Their son, who was also sleeping, was cradled in the frame of his father's arms. He blinked; his green eyes appeared and disappeared under the small of his eyelids. His tiny fist lay over the beating of Jack's heart. "God, you're so tiny, and perfect. I love you so much." Jack whispered, his lips lightly brushing against his forehead. "I still can't believe you're real."

"But he is." He heard her voice, soft from sleep. She was still lying down, but her eyes were open, taking the moment between father and son to memory.

"Hey, I thought you were sleeping." Jack said.

"I was, then I woke up and I just can't take my eyes off of the two of you." She admitted admiringly, moving to sit up.

Jack approached her, and lowered their son into her outstretched arms. She ran her hands through the wavy hair on his head. Jack propped himself up behind her, staring down at their baby over her shoulder, just as he had right after he was born. Tears came to her eyes, and flowed generously. She laughed, this unbelievably warm, kind, soft, soaring laugh. Jack drowned into the sound of it, his heart full, floating. She kept one arm around their son, rocking him in an instinctual rhythm, while her free hand found his, and as she always had, she fit her fingers between his, and sighed at how perfect it always felt.

"We're all here, together. I've dreamed of this day for so…so long." She cried, and these weren't just any tears, these were blissful tears, incredibly content and abundantly grateful tears. Jack cried with her, for her. The circle was complete.

She cocked her head upward, meeting his eyes, which were still cast over with the film of his tears. She wiped them from his cheeks. She looked back down at their pride and joy. "What do you think we should name him?"

He couldn't believe that they hadn't had the 'baby names' discussion before now, but there was one name he'd been excited to suggest. "I have one in mind"

* * *

_**I'm in tears, completely inconsolable, but I'm not done yet! **_


	20. Chapter 20

"…_Three_…_Two_..._One_. Ready or not, here I come!" Jack warned out-loud.

He opened his eyes and studied the path of grass and leaves in front of him. He wasn't as good of a tracker as Kate, but he did his best to catch any odd disturbances, but there were none. The little bugger was good, Jack thought with a smile. He walked, more like tip-toed, along a random path, and somehow he felt like he was going in the right direction. 'Hide and Seek' was their son's favorite game, and when he had the intricate plays of long leaves and high grass as his playground, Jack couldn't blame him to wanting to play in it all the time. He couldn't begin to count the many ways his son could hide without being seen or heard. He was small enough and sneaky enough, utilizing this remarkable ability to invent new ways to conceal himself, picking up that trait from his mother he supposed.

He heard something shift behind him, and turned to inspect, but there was nothing, just more empty space. He was never one to give up so easily, but he knew the sun would be going down soon, and they had to get back to the caves. "Okay kiddo, I give up! You can come out now!" As soon as Jack turned, his tiny, round blushing face appeared out of the leaves of a nearby bush, a smudge of dirt across his cheek. He was all smiles.

"I win again!" He boasted. Jack wiped the dirt from his face, picked up his small body and flung it over his shoulder, tickling his son's sides endlessly and melting at the screeched giggling that came from his tiny body. He was such a happy child, always in the mood to play.

Jack continued to tickle him. "You're too good at this, that's all. Your old man can't keep up anymore."

"Daddy! I can't breathe!" He whined breathlessly. Jack finally relented and released him from his tickling fingers, maneuvering him so that he sat on his hip. He kissed the tip of his nose and brushed his hair out of his eyes and the tears from his cheeks. He'd laughed until he cried; those were always the best kind. He placed his small arms around Jack's neck and allowed his father to carry him.

"Did you want to visit the beach later, play with your cousin Aaron and Ji-Yeon, not to mention, Tabitha, she's been asking about you. I'm sure they miss you."

"No, I want to stay here with you and Mommy." He decided, sounding so much like his father just then. When he made his mind up, there was absolutely nothing anyone could do to persuade him. He was twice as stubborn, inheriting the trait from his parents. "Wanna play again? I'll let you win this time."

Jack laughed loudly, tightening his grip. This child was unlike any other. Parts of he and Kate were more than obvious, from the tip of his head to the points of his toes, but he had a personality all his own. "I'm sorry kiddo, but we can't. We gotta pick these mangoes and get them back to your mother, before she grounds us both."

He giggled as he bounced around on his father's hip. "Mommy can't ground you."

"Oh yes she can." He didn't believe he would ever know what Kate couldn't get him to do.

They were now on their way back to the caves after grabbing, picking and inspecting every mango they could find. "You sure you're okay with carrying all of those mangoes. They can get pretty heavy."

"I'm sure!" He was such a little man, Jack thought. He was always out to prove himself, to be just as fast and as strong as his father. That iron-clad Shephard pride never skipped a generation.

Jack remembered those days as a child, wanting to be just like his dad. When he grew out of that infatuation phase and saw his father for the man that he was, the pushy, arrogant, demanding patriarch that he could never satisfy, he began to wonder why he even bothered. Even though he was bound to believe that his father loved him, it brought him more heartache trying to be his father than it ever had striving to be his own person. He finally learned that lesson and would never let the fragile little boy who walked beside him ever feel that kind of pain. He looked down at his little face, walking proudly with that sack of mangoes, and his heart filled with more joy than it could carry.

Jack looked back into the distance and there he was, the spotlight of the sun casting down in his shoulders. The same strands of grey all over, the folds of his face crinkled when he smiled, the crease at the slits of his eyes deepened as he squinted. Christian. He had to be imaging him, Jack thought, just like the other times he had, running haphazardly through the jungle in no definitive direction whatsoever just to get a steady glimpse of him. That was the only explanation, but only it wasn't. He was here. He felt the certainty of it seep into his skin. He finally came after so long.

"Daddy, who is that man?" His son asked from beside him.

Jack leaned down, and cupped his son's shoulders, urging him to turn and look into his eyes. His voice came out a little rugged, shocked. "You can see him, too?"

" 'Course I can! He's right there." He chimed and pointed, as if his father's question was the dumbest he ever heard.

Christian approached them. He and Jack shared a wordless exchange, using their eyes to express the sentiment of the moment. Christian looked down to the little boy by Jack's side, holding onto a bag that was almost as big as he was, and probably just a heavy, maybe heavier.

"Hey, kiddo. What you got there?"

"Mangoes." He said a bit shyly, but there was something familiar about the older man's eyes that caught him and somehow he knew that he could trust him, he already liked him. "We gotta get them to Mommy, before she gets mad at us." The serious look on his face caused Jack to bite the inside of his lip, so as not to laugh.

"Oh really? We don't want that, now do we?"

The child shook his head ardently. Christian became mesmerized by the bright green of the child's eyes. They were the only feature that was different from the vision of a young Jack that he still held close to his heart. He would definitely grow to be the splitting image of the man who stood next to him with a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Jack bent to his son's level. "Hey bud, why don't you get those to your Mom, okay? I'll be right there."

"Okay." He shrugged. He waved goodbye to the older man and scampered off in the direction of the caves before Christian could wave back.

Jack straightened, and took in his father's presence, that steely, commanding, authoritative presence was relaxed, proud, settled. "It's been so long, I didn't think you'd come."

"Don't I always?" He looked in the direction that the small child just ran off in, his eyes swimming with pride. That was his grandson. He was sure of it, and it knocked the wind out of him in a way he wasn't expecting. He was glorious, absolutely glorious.

"What? You checkin' up on me?" Jack pretended to mind.

"Maybe." He looked around as sunlight bounced off of the floral greens and tainted yellows of the undergrowth, stinging his eyes a little. "I knew that magical things would happen here, but I wasn't expecting him. He's beautiful Jack. He looks exactly like you, minus the eyes. What's his name?"

Jack sighed, letting go of a breath he forgot he'd been holding. He was waiting for this moment, but never thought it would come. "His name is Christian."

Christian's eyes grew startled, and then glazed over with unshed tears; he blinked them away. He cleared this throat and smiled as he held his son's gaze, then laughed. Jack couldn't help but join him. "You sure that was a good idea?"

He nodded wordlessly. "I wanted him to have something of yours. Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all." After a beat, Christian moved closer, pulling his son into a hug, his arms cradling, tight and fierce, relentless. It caught Jack off guard at first, but he instantly fell into his father's embrace. The last time they hugged this way, he consoled him after he discovered that he died, after the shock of it tore through him, but now, here, he had never felt more alive.

"I love you son." Jack could hear the emotion in his father's voice, that quiet, sinking shatter of his baritone that always meant he was holding back tears. He'd said this in the church. They held each other in the church, but this was different. Everything was so different here, except for the sentimental air that blew around them.

It felt like a lifetime ago when he last heard those words, but Jack gripped his father's shirt in his fists, his knuckles bare. He held him tightly and sighed. "I love you too, Dad."

Christian pulled away first, patting Jack on his shoulders, and took a good, long look before he turned and began to walk back from where he came, slowly, as if he never wanted to leave. He looked back and caught the forlorn glint in his son's eyes, desperate, pleading for him not to leave just yet. "Don't worry, son. I'll be back. All we have now is time." He reassured and began walking away. At the blink of Jack's eye, he was gone.

Jack entered the caves, and caught sight of Christian running circles around his mother while she walked around, preparing dinner. She bent down and kissed him on his forehead, as he continued to talk to her a mile a minute, without a breath in-between. He made sure to wipe the tears from his eyes, because Kate had this radar when it came to the tides of his emotions.

Kate bent to the ground, handing her son some silverware. "Here baby, take these over to the blanket for me, please." Christian skipped merrily to the blanket. "Carefully please..." She warned, and he instantly slowed down.

She spotted Jack from the corner of her eye, and turned. "Hey you. What took you so long?" Jack opened his mouth to explain, but was interrupted by their son's squeak of a voice.

"Did that man leave already, Daddy?"

"What man?" Kate asked turning her attention back to Jack.

"I'll tell you later. Right now, we should enjoy our dinner. We've been working our tails off, right kiddo?"

"Right!" Christian squealed from the blanket he now sat on, his fork and spoon in hand, ready to fill his little belly.

* * *

His fingertips caressed the smooth skin of her neck, the delicate curve of her spine, and the silk of her arm. He brushed her hair away from the back of her neck, and bent down to let his lips glide over the skin there, tickling her, making her shiver and shake. They lay snuggled under a blanket, naked, watching as the fire crackled next to them, sending warmth in every direction.

"Today was pretty great, as always." He said, breaking the calm silence of the night.

"Umhmm." She moaned, still basking in the afterglow.

"I asked Christian if he wanted to head over to the beach tomorrow, but he's content to stay here with us. Do you think he's avoiding Aaron? They try to bury each other in the sand a little too much, and Aaron always gets the best of him. Boys will be boys."

"He loves his cousin. I think he's avoiding Tabitha, to be honest. She picks on him far too much for it not to be something more. I think she has a crush on him."

Jack let out a playful gasp. "You think Tabitha has a crush on our son?"

"I was a little girl once, a tomboy like she is, and I was too shy when it came to boys, so I just decided to act like one, and hang out with them like a friend, to get a better understanding of them. I even picked on a few of my own that I liked, but they never liked me back."

"Aww." Jack laughed guiltily, somberly. "Well, if it's any consolation, you definitely learned how to come out of your shell, because this boy," he pointed to himself, "is crazy about you, can't get enough of you." He kissed her on the lips to emphasize his point.

She giggled as the scruff that he refused to shave, scratched at the skin of her neck. "I'm serious Jack, I think our son has a serious problem where Tabitha is concerned."

"Should we talk to Sawyer and Juliet about it? Get their wedding plans on paper?" He was half-listening now, feasting on the swell of her breasts and the dip of her torso.

"No," she moaned when she felt his lips travel over her panty-line. "They're just kids. It's a harmless crush, it'll pass." She urged him to come back up from underneath the blanket, and he begrudgingly did so. He tipped over onto his back, taking her along with him until she found a comfortable position over his chest. "So, ready to talk about the mysterious man in the jungle?"

He brought his arm around her waist and pulled. "It was my dad."

"Christian was here?" She asked, tilting her head to meet his eyes.

"Yeah, he was." His mind was caught between consciousness and sleep. "It was great to see him."

"I'm sure it was, and I'm sure it meant a lot to you that he came." It did, he thought. It really did. She yawned and placed her head into the crook of his shoulder, amazed at how perfect it fit. "Jack?"

"Yeah, Kate?" His large hand cupped the back of her head, urging her to fall all the way into him. She melted, she always melted.

"I love this place we created together." She whispered, her voice trailing off as sleep took her.

He smiled and wrapped both arms around her as he laid a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"Me too." He suddenly yawned, and pulled the blanket all the way over them.

Everything was finally the way it was supposed to be, the way it should have been.

Jack's eyes closed, but not for the last time. Never for the last time.

* * *

**THE END **


End file.
